A Secret Not So Secret
by Ancient Liddel
Summary: "N-no w-way! I can't believe it!-" Mineral Town, a town located on an island far from normal. Claire moved there, not expecting romance or any surprises. She didn't even expect to find things that she thought didn't exist in the real world, little did she know that there's a lot more to the island than she had originally concluded: fiction would take a whole new meaning to her.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first one... actually there's another but it's in relation to this: it explains the time and dates for real life (read it: it's called Something To Do you'll understand once you read it... I think.)... well, it sort of does.  
First long one I guess you can say. ^_^**  
**I've had this idea in my head for the longest time; different variations of course caused I'm messed up that way. XD**

**A lot of things that I like, you will see in this story; it'll even influence the story line; and if you like some of the same stuff I do... prepare to have a nerdgasm! XD (okay, maybe not really but I think you'll at least like it)**  
**Oh and this Harvest Moon story... let's just say it's one of a kind: and I mean one of a kind; prepare to expect... well, somethings you wouldn't expect in a Harvest Moon story. And you may see some elements in the games that I mixed together XD**

**I actually would love to write a book one day; so this is sort of practice for me.  
Let me know what you think of it! :)**

**Alright, enough chit chat from me (as you can tell, I'm long winded hehe): on with the story! (or the beginning of it lol)**

**Oh, one more thing (Ik): This story is a bunch of genres like Romance, Drama, Humor, maybe even Adventure and Mystery. But I can only choose two for publishing... just wanted to clear that up XD  
And... bear with me on this story - it may seem slow at times or like that, but I don't think you'll be disappointed... at least I don't think you will lol  
**

**Okay NOW you can read the 1st chapter :) Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Gah! This.. this _stupid photocopier_!" yelled Claire, not thinking that she was at work and not at some store. Everyone stared at her. But she didn't care where she was; when she got frustrated, _everyone_ knew.

"Need help?" asked a man who had walked over towards her.

"**No!**" she snapped, "Especially not by you!"

"Come on, Claire. How come you hate me so much? No one can resist my charming face."

_I know... _she thought.

"Is that prick bugging you, Claire?" asked a young woman whom Claire knew, "Cause I can-"

"No, Kat," interrupted Claire, "I'm fine. But this stupid photocopier won't be once I get done with it!" she muttered, glaring at her enemy.

"Whoa, Claire! Easy now. I guess even geniuses even get frustrated." her friend said. Turing her attention towards the dark-haired man who was just standing there, smirking for some dumb reason, Kat began, "Jason, why do you always have to be a pain? Hmm? Shoo, and leave Claire alone!"

"I'm only trying to help a damsel in distress. Besides, she enjoys my company." he said, glancing towards Claire.

"Go Jason before I do something that I will regret. I'm quite capable of helping my best friend out!"

"Alright, alright Kat. I'm going. Though it seems like you'll have to go to the storage room and get another part." he said quickly then dashed off.

"I'll be-" but before Kat could continue she noticed that he wasn't there anymore. She shrugged her shoulders and returned her attention towards Claire, "Now Claire, let's see what the problem is."

"I already know the problem; this dumb photocopier hates me!"

Fumbling around with the photocopier, Kat spotted the problem. "Much as I hate to say this, but Jason is right. The photocopier does need a new part. I'll go get one real quick. Wait right here"

"No, Kat that's alright. Just tell me what part I need and I'll go get it myself."

"Alright suit yourself."

With the name of the part, Claire ventured off to the storage room. Normally, she would have figured it out on her own, that's the whole point of being a genius. Well, technically Claire wasn't a genius _genius_ per say. But she had a fair amount of knowledge in science and technology. The blonde girl certainly loved those fields! Unfortunately, she got stuck with just your average boring office job, doing the same thing pretty well over and over and over again day after day... not stuck per say; more like she had accepted the job willingly but soon regretted it... a bit.

Claire stepped inside the dark storage room. She then started to search for that part to that evil photocopier. But to her surprise, she first found something else instead.

A warmth wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her closer. Light kisses went down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Then an all too familiar voice spoke. "I thought you would come in here."

Turning herself around, Claire caught sight of the person. She cupped the person's face and pressed her lips on his. A surge went though her body, making her heart flutter. Something inside of her yearned for more, but quickly subsided as more pressure pressed on her lips. But there was always something inside of her that made her feel... not complete for lack of a better term. She never really noticed this before and certainly didn't notice as the kiss became more passionate.

"Jason." gasped Claire as she broke away from the lip lock, "What are you doing in here? You know we agreed to maintain our _reputation_ around here back when we started to date. I don't have time for this. I need the part to that evil photocopier. People will suspect if I'm in here for long."

"Hey! I wasn't done! And as I recall, you were the one who started kissing me, not me you. I just merely wrapped my arms around your waist... and kissed you back."

"That's not the point!" Claire lightly stomped her foot, childishly.

"Besides, people won't suspect anything. If anything, they will figure that you had a hard time looking for the part. You did make sure everybody knew that you were frustrated."

"Or they might think that I fainted or, or something like that. My point is the work place—NOT a good place to make out. Though tonight is a different story." she grinned at that last part.

"But... okay, okay. Till tonight then."

He pecked her lips and walked out of the storage room, making sure nobody noticed him.

"How did I ever fall for him." she mumbled.

She quickly found the appropriate part much to her surprise and then walked out of the storage room nonchalantly. She wasn't sure what later that day would bring, but boy! she couldn't wait for night to hit. Something told her that that night would be a night she wouldn't forget.

Returning to Kat, Claire placed the part in her friend's hand. Kat took the old part out and replaced it with the new one, satisfied with her work. She then told Claire to "start er up!" and grinned happily as the photocopier went back to normal.

"Thanks Kat! Your the best!" said Claire, blowing her bangs from her face.

"No problem, gurl! What are best friends for?" Kat chuckled, lightly poking her best friend's side. "Let me know if you need help in anything else instead of making a scene, attracting unwanted attention, if you know who I'm talking about."

"Alright, alright Kat. I have to return to my desk now. Lunch today, right?"

"Yup! We're still on! See you then!" Kat chirped

Claire continued on with the day, doing monotonous tasks. She really wasn't a whole fan of her job. Why didn't she switched to a career she liked? She didn't have the answer to that. Maybe it was because her best friend worked there, or maybe she just was pure stubborn. She had been known to be stubborn at times. But usually it was quite rare.

Lunch time came, relieving Claire and Kat from their work. They grabbed their bags and walked over to their favorite bistro located at the corner of the nearest street. Since it was a lovely sunny day, they decided to have their lunch outside where the red checkered covered tables resided. Enjoying a hearty meal, they talked about anything from fashion to boys to even politics. Lunch ended quite quickly though, much to their disappointment.

Claire enjoyed eating out with Kat. It was really the only times where she could vent and discuss stuff with her. Yes they were best friends, but their work schedules and life styles sort of prevented them from spending time with each other. But somehow, they always managed.

The rest of the day seemed like an eternity to Claire. When it finally came, she quickly grabbed her stuff, hugged Kat goodbye, and bolted out the door heading towards her condo. _I need plenty of time to get ready tonight. _she thought to herself, _Ooo! I can't wait!_

Once at her own place, she ripped open her closet and chose the outfit she thought appropriate for that night. She peeled off her work clothes and slipped on her dark denim pants which had a hint of sparkle. Next she put on her white spaghetti-strap undershirt then a red flannel shirt over top of it and tied the bottom of the flannel shirt. After buckling her belt on, she then bolted one of her favorite belt buckles. She looked herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. _All I need is some boots and a hair-do that I like, and I'll be all set. _Brushing her hair, she decided that she would tie her long blonde hair up in a simple pony tail. She never was into anything too too fancy. Once she found some brown boots, she placed them on and tucked her jeans inside of them. She then glanced over towards her clock and almost shrieked of what time it was. In that moment she sprinted out of her door with a small snack in hand and almost tripped a few times while on her way to the place where she was meeting her special friend.

She flung open the doors and immediately saw him at the bar like usual. He noticed her and waved towards him indicating for her to come over. The decorations all around were so to say western in taste. Everything looked old and gritty but at the same time it was modern and hip. Claire never saw anything like it really before. Not that she would though, since she lived in the city. Never would she had thought that something like it existed where she lived.

"Two beers please." he said to the bartender, "Hey baby." he pecked her on the lips, "What took you so long?"

"Oh you know. Same ol', same ol'." she smirked. Noticing the two beers that were just placed on the counter, she shook her head, "You know I don't drink, Jason"

"Who says that one of them were for you?"

"Since you, every time we go out, try to get me to drink."

"Aww, shucks! Well, never hurts to try you know..." he trailed off while drinking his beer.

Claire rolled her eyes. Why he would try to convince her to drink was beyond her comprehension. She just didn't want to. Though that wasn't completely true. Watching the effect that alcohol could bring influenced her reasons. She just didn't want to do anything dumb. She knew what power it held upon a person, and she certainly didn't want to test the waters. Her mind began to wonder off to when she was a child. Her parents, mainly her dad, drank—a lot, though not much when she was really, really young. She didn't know when her parents started to drink heavier and heavier; all she knew was that alcohol caused problems. And she certainly didn't want to risk on being like them.

"Hey Claiiire," waving his hand in front of her face, "you there?"

"Huh?" she said, snapping back to reality.

"I said do you want to dance? I know you like the whole square dancing thingy or whatever the style is called. Though it doesn't really look like square dancing per say. Really I don't know what it is, but do you want to join in the fun?"

"Sure why not."

"Thought you would." he said, sipping on the last of his beer.

Claire eyed him in shock. She couldn't believe that he downed two beers in that short amount of time. Though she didn't know how long exactly she spaced out. She shrugged her shoulders and took his outstretched hand, heading towards the dance floor. The music there was sort of a country/western feeling, appropriate for square dancing. But no square dancing was done. Instead, it was more of a free for all.

At some point, Claire broke out into some moves she hadn't in a long, long time, specifically with her feet. Jason was somewhat shocked but at the same time wasn't that surprised. But it was entertaining to him. It was also entertaining to others too since they had begun to step back and watch. Of course Claire didn't take notice; she just continued with what she was doing. It took a little while though for her to finally notice that she was the only one dancing, and that caused her to blush.

When the music stopped, everybody clapped their hands and cheered. Her boyfriend came up to her and grabbed her around her waist. The gap between their lips closed which caused her to wrap her arms around his neck. They soon parted. Grabbing her, he lead her back towards the bar. "Another two beers, please" Jason requested the bartender. When Claire was about to protest about the beers again, he moved her against the bar's counter with her back leaning against it. Then he started kissing her neck. It seemed like that intimate moment wouldn't end, but that was so wrong. "JASON!" a loud, extremely furious voice came from nowhere, "WHAT THE BLUE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING!"

Jason turned around to find a fuming women with smoke steaming out of her ears. He quickly blinked. "M-Maryb-belle?" he stuttered, "W-What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first! Gah! I had a feeling you were cheating on me but then brushed it aside for some dam reason; but now I know that I am right. Should have listened to my women intuition in the first place..." she trailed off, " So who is she?" Marybelle demanded.

"I would like to ask you the same thing Jason!" Claire spoke up, crossing her arms.

"A-a-a f-friend?" he answered both of them, fear painted in his eyes.

Wrong answer! Both Claire and Marybelle snatched the two new beers off the counter and poured them on his head. Disgusted at Jason, Marybelle turned to Claire and asked if she would like to leave with her. "Gladly!" Claire said, "Wait one moment." Claire did the one thing that Marybelle wouldn't do... or rather couldn't. She whirled around and punched Jason right in the jaw. "Now we can go." Claire said, satisfied with her deed.

Together, they walked out of the place which contained their ex-boyfriend. Walking on the sidewalk, Marybelle finally spoke, "Was it really necessary to punch him? Like yeah, he's a two-timer and all, but don't you think that that was a bit rough?"

"He deserved it! And much more than that!" Claire said, "I was easy on him. Though my hand seems to disagree on that." she chuckled.

"I suppose..." Marybelle trailed off, "Men! Who needs them!"

"I'm with ya on that!"

They both laughed together. Claire said her goodbye to her new acquaintance and headed towards home. She knew darn well that Jason was bad news; yet she was somehow blinded. And she didn't know why. Yet it wasn't the first time she experienced this. Many had broken her heart before; though this time, she didn't really feel as bad as she had in the past. Maybe she knew all along that he was no good. That was when denial came. Denial brought her hope in some weird way and made her see the potential good that he could have been. Denial—that was her blindness... or so she concluded. Right then and there she decided that she wasn't going to bother with men anymore. _Too complicated, _she thought, _And... hurtful._

Finally at the comfort of her home, Claire laid herself on her bed and puffed her bangs away from her face. Staring into her ceiling, she decided to call the one person that she knew would understand. But there was a problem: Kat never knew that Claire and Jason were dating. Would Kat understand? Or would she brush her best friend off? Clair was about to find out.

Dialing Kat's number, Claire wondered how she would tell her of the whole incident. The best course of action that she concluded was to just be blunt with Kat—tell her straight off. Claire then heard Kat's voice on the phone and started to get a bit teary eyed. Her friend asked her what was wrong. Claire immediately spilled out everything. From the time when her and Jason started to date to the break-up that happened that night. Claire sensed that Kat was in utter shock from it all and was afraid that she would lose her best friend. Kat assured her that that nothing would stop them from being best friends, but she also rebuked Claire for not telling her. "I know I should have told you, Kat. I-I just didn't know what came over me!" whimpered Claire.

"Claire, Claire. Calm down." Kat softly said, "What's done is done; can't go back on the past. I know that you are upset a bit and this may sound a bit harsh but I wouldn't worry or get worked up about it. He is _not_ worth it! At all! If he was, then he would.. wouldn't be Jason; he would be someone else. Now dear, please, promise me that you stop being sad because of this guy?"

"Mmkay..."

"There. It's getting late. So I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright, see you tomorrow Kat. Night!"

"Night!"

Claire hanged up the phone, feeling a bit better. She just hoped that the next day would be brighter and happier for her.

* * *

The next morning brought another day to begin. Claire reluctantly got up at the sound of her alarm. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. _Another day of work... _she looked at her digital clock and realized that it wasn't a work day. "Today is Saturday? Today is Saturday! Yeehaw!" she shouted but quickly covered her mouth remembering that she had neighbors. _I must have forgotten to shut off my alarm last night. Hmm.. that means... _"Extra sleep for me!" With that she dozed back to sleep.

A knock jolted her awake after a few more hours of sleep. _I'm not expecting anyone... I think.. oh!_ Claire threw the covers off of her and ran towards the door. Opening it, she found none other than Kat. Kat snickered at her as she walked inside. "You forgot didn't you Claire."

"Well, no... maybe?" Claire replied, " I just wanted to get more sleep and well, you know how that goes..."

"You end up sleeping in late, later than you expect that is." Kat finished.

"Yeah sort of." smiled Claire.

"Well that's fine. I'll make something big for the two of us, since you haven't eaten in a while. If it's okay that I use your kitchen that is."

"Of course it is! You should know that by now. I'll be back in a bit; I have to go downstairs and get the paper from the front desk." Claire said, while grabbing her robe.

"Right-o! But you're going down like that?" Kat said pointing to the robed Claire.

"Yeah why not? They are sort of used to me like this, especially on Saturdays." Claire answered while opening her door.

Kat shrugged her shoulders which gave the cue for Claire to leave.

At the front desk, sat an older gentleman around 50 or so... or so Claire had concluded. Claire waved at the grey-haired man. The wrinkles on his face gave her a huge smile. She always was happy every time she had to see him; his happiness was very contagious; never was she sad around him. That's probably why she thought of him as a perfect Santa though she did know that Santa didn't exist, but he certainly had the looks of him excluding the beard.

It was a rather small lobby, but that wasn't a surprise considering that the building itself was fairly small. Yet, despite the size, it still held on to the fact that it was a very high-end building. Two seating areas could be seen on either side of the main doors along with two potted plants. Both seating areas had been arranged in sort of a _L_ shape with the _L_ facing the entrance. Coffee tables stood in front of those _L_'s. In the middle of each coffee table stood potted flowers, giving a homey feeling.

"Hello, Mr. Stanley! How are you today?" Claire chirped.

"Why hello Claire! I'm very good today, and it looks like that you are too!"

"Yeah, somewhat. Anyway, I'm here for the paper and any other mail."

"Oh yes. Well there's no mail today but there's the paper right here." he smiled as he gave her the paper.

"Thank you Mr. Stanley."

"No problem at all. Oh by the way. Before you go, I should tell you that it seems like that paper—or I should say that particular paper was meant for you. Usually Fred comes in and, you know, delivers the paper, but a rather different man came instead. He said that Fred was sick and gave me the papers, but he specifically said that that paper that I just handed to you was for you. Well he didn't know your name, but he knew your room number. Just thought I should let you know. I found it particularly strange, but it could be nothing. Didn't catch the fellow's name though."

"Huh... That certainly is quite strange. I'm sure it's nothing. Probably some guy who wanted me to notice him and go looking for him." Claire rolled her eyes, "I'll never understand men."

"Don't lose too much faith in the males. It only just takes one right one for a young woman like you."

"Thanks Mr. Stanley. But I think I'm done with men."

"One day you'll change your mind; it may be far off or may not but I believe one day. Anyways, have a nice day Claire!"

"You too Mr. Stanley, you too."

Claire waved goodbye and headed back up. Thinking of what Mr. Stanley had said to her, Claire wondered if there truly was a _Mr. Right _out there for her. But she quickly dismissed that idea since she had resolved that she wouldn't date anymore.

Arriving at her door, Claire smelt the savory goodness of bacon and eggs and even a hint of muffins. It didn't take long for her to figure out what kind of muffins once she opened the door. To the left, Claire saw Kat motioning her to come over to the kitchen. Once they both grabbed their plates of food, they headed towards the table located opposite to the kitchen. Newspaper in hand Claire started to eat the banana flavored muffins while talking or rather listening to Kat. Then out of nowhere an ad caught Claire's attention. The ad was for a farm located in a small town. _A farm for sale, eh? Huh.. should I? I mean yeah I don't like my job and all and my life pretty well is boring except for Kat... I certainly wouldn't miss the city if I did. A city with perverts and criminals—honestly not one day goes by where I don't hear of a crime. But what about Kat? I-_

"**Claire!**"

"Huh? What? What happened?" the blonde panicked.

"You weren't paying attention were you."

"Yeah I was! You were talking about... then you said... okay no I wasn't so shoot me."

The dark-haired woman chuckled, "Oh Claire. What am I going to do with you?" She paused. "What was going on in your little blonde head of yours anyways? Hmm?"

"Uh, well... Umm... here."Claire handed the paper over to her. Pointing at the ad she saw, "Read that."

"Okay, uh.." Kat clears her throat, "_Want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city? Or do you just want a peaceful place to live? A farm is what you need then! Enjoy the peaceful surroundings while caring for crops and animals. Call 874-655-2489 for more details._ And this means... no wait. You aren't considering this are you Claire?"

"I think you know me well enough to figure that one out."

"But what about our get-togethers? And lunch-outs? We barely get to spend time together as it is!"

"We could always catch up via video chat. I can set it for you, if you haven't already."

"But Claiiiire!" whined Kat, "It's just... well, it wouldn't be the same! Please reconsider this..."

"I haven't said yes, but I also haven't said no either. But it looks like more of a yes."

"Is it because of what happened last night? I told you not to-"

"Nothing has to do with that." Claire interrupted, "For the longest time I've been slowly getting weary of city life; the hustle and bustle of everything, people pushing and being rude. I just can't handle it anymore. I thought I could though, but lately I've been finding it a bit harder each day. Actually, to be quite honest, the city wasn't really my thing to begin with. I merely tried it out; I thought maybe I would enjoy it—and I tried to, but it isn't me. Kat, if I do decide to buy it which most likely I will, please be supportive of my decision. Your my best friend and all and... I just hope you can understand."

Kat paused for a few moments causing Claire to fidget. Her heart began to race faster than a freight train if that was even possible. Claire wasn't sure what was running through Kat's head. Not knowing what Kat thought about what she had just said made her hands feel a bit clammy. "K-Kat? Please say s-something." Claire mumbled.

"I... I don't know if I have words to say..." Kat barely made out, "I... I didn't know that that's how you really felt..."

"Kat-"

"No Claire, let me finish. Had I known that city life wasn't your cup of tea, I would have never encouraged you—well nudge you towards that way—to get a job where I work at. Yeah, I agree; that job can be quite.. what's the word... annoying? But at least it pays the bills." pausing for a moment she continued, "We're best friends, Claire. Did you really think I would have thought of you any differently had I known?"

"I... I don't know... I guess communications isn't my strong point is it." Claire joked.

"Claire. If you want to purchase that farm, then I say go for it! Just be sure that we stay in contact, alright? And tell me the latest gossip too!" her friend struggled to sound sincere but at the same time understood.

Claire laughed, "Alright Kat. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop. And... thank you."

"Claire, don't worry about it at all. I just want you to be happy. I've always suspected something was going on with you; I just didn't know what it was exactly till now." Kat gave a faint smile.

After that conversation she had with Kat, Claire felt a lot better. _I can be so stupid at times. I should have known._ Claire thought. She began to space out thinking about her future and such until Kat came and shoved the phone right in front of her face. "Call now." Kat commanded, "I know if you don't you'll forget and that ad would be on your fridge for at least two weeks."

Claire meekly obeyed.

The phone began to ring on the other side. Shortly afterward, Claire heard a man's voice. "Hello! This is The Mayor speaking. How may I help you?"

"I..." clearing her throat so that she could speak clearer, "I would like to buy that farm, if it's still available."

* * *

**Good? Bad? Anything to improve on? Let me know! :D  
But don't be too too harsh on me: I'm a beginner :P  
But any pointers will be much appreciated! :)  
**

**Don't worry: in about 2? more chapters (give or take) she'll be in Mineral Town. There's a reason why I started here... I think-tbh, I don't really know lol! Though some things will be a factor. I have a plan though; that you can be sure about! :)  
More will be on it's way; not sure when: could be sooner, could be later; but more will come! :D  
Oh, and thanks for reading ^_^  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Without further delay... here's the new chapter! :D  
**

* * *

If Claire's mind were a race car, it would definitely be ahead of the competition. Change. She never was good at that. The feeling it gave her always sent her mind racing. She knew that sometimes change was good, but buying a farm, she didn't know if it would be. _Will it be worth it? Will I like it? Will it change my life drastically? What do I mean will it change my life drastically—course it will, but will it be a good one._ Those and many more questions kept nagging her in her thoughts.

And here she was, at a bar, at night. Of course, she wasn't there to drink alcohol like the rest of the people there. No, she was there to talk to the good, understanding bartender whom she got to know over the years. The circumstances they met under were quite unusual yet not really.

_Claire stumbled into a bar, trying to control her emotions. She should have known that he would do that; she should have known that he would betray her. But love blinded her. Love told her that it was worth it—that he was worth it. But yet that wasn't the case._

_Sitting on her bar stool that she had just claimed, Claire stared straight ahead, thinking. And let's just say some of those thoughts were a bit on the violent side. No scratch that; they _were_ violent. She wanted to get her revenge somehow but didn't know how to go about it.  
_

_A young gentleman around her age approached her on the opposite side of where she was sitting. Wearing a pattern T-shirt as well as dark jeans, the dark-haired man tried getting Claire's attention but failed miserably. He didn't know what was going on in her head but knew that whatever it was must be rough on her. He grabbed a bottle of liquor as well as a glass and placed them in front of Claire. That in turn caught Claire's attention._

"_Uh, uh... umm..." wiping her tears that she hadn't notice till then she then continued, "Uh, I don't drink... I know typically people come in a bar to do just that. But I... I shouldn't have come in the first place. I-I don't know what I was thinking."_

_Just as Claire started to leave her seat, the bartender gently grabbed her wrist. She looked up and saw general concern etched on his face. Concluding that he wouldn't allow her to leave any time soon, she reluctantly settled back in her seat which caused his hand to retract from her wrist. She took a deep breath and waited for his reply. "I can get you some juice if you like without alcohol of course."_

_She blinked then nodded her head. Those words bewildered her. Never had she heard of a bar serving just plain ol' juice. Though it wasn't like she knew what bars typically served in the first place other than alcoholic beverages. But she didn't complain. She grabbed the juice which the bartender had just placed and quietly thanked him._

_As she began sipping the first of her juice, the bartender spoke up, "May I ask what's troubling you Miss..."_

_She placed her drink down. "Just call me Claire. And... I rather not say."_

"_I see. I understand. I know that some break-ups are very hard, some harder than others..." he trailed off_

"_But how did you... how?"_

"_Let's just say I have a gift." he chuckled. "Well, actually, I've been doing my job for quite some time and heard basically every problem there is. You pick up a few things over time."_

"_But... never mind." Claire mumbled._

"_You know, sometimes it's helpful to talk about it." he stated, leaning his arms on the counter._

_She opened her mouth but nothing came out._

"_If you really don't want to talk about it then I won't push any further. But just so you know I'm-"_

"_He betrayed me!" Claire interrupted, much to her surprise. "He said that he loved me and all that, and next thing I know I find out that he's running away with another woman. Of course, I didn't believe it when I first heard of it; I wanted proof! Or at least something tangible that would indicate what I heard wasn't true. So when I was having dinner with him earlier tonight, I took it upon myself to do some snooping around. I thought I wasn't going to find anything; I really did, especially when it seemed like I couldn't find anything till... till.."_

"_Take a deep breath" he commanded softly_

_She obeyed and continued, "I found a letter; and inside of it had two tickets to—well I'm not sure really cause when I skimmed over the letter and saw the tickets, I dropped them in shock and horror. Even then I didn't believe it; I didn't want to! Of course, he came into the room I was in as I was basically done skimming over the letter. So when I dropped them, he tried to explain himself, but I sprinted out of there as if my life depended on it. And right then I knew that he truly didn't love me. I don't know what I meant to him, and I'm not even sure if I want to know." She paused. "I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this..." The juice in front of her suddenly became very interesting to her._

_Placing his hands over her hands which were cupping her drink, he gently spoke, "Then the way I see it, he didn't deserve you _at all! _That man must be incredibly stupid for him to make plans to run away with another woman, leaving a beautiful young woman such as yourself. He could have had a jewel but instead he chose a pig's snot." Claire snickered at that part, "No, if anybody who should be upset, it should be him. So try to cheer up a little bit if you can." He paused. "Claire, love hurts; it hurts like fire and anything else that's painful; I've experienced it countless times myself. So I have a pretty good idea what you're going through. I'm not sure if anything that I've said has helped you a bit, but I hope it did. Keep your chin up, alright?"_

_Claire couldn't help but give a small smile. Here was this stranger trying his best to cheer her up. How could she not smile? Looking up at him, her eyes trying to determine whether or not he was sincere met his hazel ones. In that moment she knew that he indeed was sincere; that he indeed cared. A stranger in the city that cared; that was a first for her._

"_Alright..." she finally replied while staring back at her drink again. "I..." looking up at him again, "I thank you. Thank you for caring and trying to comfort me. I really do appreciate it. I've never met anyone like you before. Never."_

_Retracting his hands from hers, he smiled at her. "Your welcome, Claire. I'm always happy to be of any help. If you ever need to talk again, you are very much welcomed here. And don't worry about buying any alcoholic drinks or anything like that. I can serve you juice or any other non-alcoholic drinks that you may like."_

"_But wouldn't your boss be mad at that?"_

"_Don't worry about him. It's not like he's going to fire me. Now I don't mean to brag or anything like that but he knows he's got the best bartender there is in this city, and he wouldn't be able to replace me." he chuckled, "I'll work something out with him; leave it to me."_

"_Thank you, and I really mean that. Words can't convey how thankful I am to you. I don't know really how to repay you." she said while her eyes wandered around._

"_Easy: just come in here whenever you want to talk; if you are sad or depressed or happy or even if you just want to talk about the weather. I most likely will be in here."_

"_Alright. I'll be sure to do that." grabbing her purse, she began to look for money, but then she felt a light hand on her arm._

"_Don't worry about paying this time; it's on the house."_

"_Oh. Thank you." she said looking up at him. "I have to go now. I really appreciate for everything you've done. Till next time."_

"_Till next time." he smiled._

_Heading towards the door, Claire suddenly realized something: she never caught his name. "Didn't catch your name." she stated._

"_The name's Kale." he answered her smiling._

"_Right. See ya Kale."_

"_You too Claire"_

Taking her regular seat third stool coming from the entrance, Claire waited for Kale. The whole room wasn't your biggest, but at the same time it wasn't small either. It had the bar with bar stools in front of it where Claire was. Behind her were dark leather booths creating more seating. And to her left at the very end of the room stood the entrances to the restrooms as well as a door leading to somewhere else.

Since she saw Kale still busy with another man towards to end of the room, Claire's mind began to wander. _Did I do the right thing?_

_**Of course you did, dummy!**_

_W-What?_

_**I said-**_

_No, I know what you said but... who are you?_

_**Bob from real estate—what do you think, dummy, your conscience! Man, I thought we were smart.**_

_But that's sort of illogical when you think about it... I think. I'm confused._

_**Now who's being illogical. Listen up! Buying that farm was the best decision you made. So you can stop with all the questions of 'oh will it be... blah.' It was good, okay? To be honest, I don't know why we are even here.**_

_Oy! You know exactly why we are here! Kale is a good friend and one way or another he would've found out. You know how much talking to him is enjoyable._

_**You? I'm not some random person, you know! I'm you!**_

_Whatever... I don't know why I'm even talking to you. Scratch that—I don't know why I'm arguing with you! I must be insane._

_**Hehe, you said it not me.**_

_Shut up. If I am, than you are too since you are me._

"Claire?" the voice interrupted her _argument_.

"What? Oh, hey Kale."

"Hey. It looks like you were really spaced out there. By the looks of it, it seems like you have a lot on your mind."

"You can say that."

"Okay then. Here's the menu." He handed her the menu. "I just have to check on something real quick and then I'll be all yours." he smiled.

"Thanks Kale. And thanks for putting non-alcoholic drinks up for sale"

"Claire, how many times I have to say this? It's no problem. When you are the boss, you can do anything you like though in retrospect they were already there after we first met. Oh, when you take a look at it, you will find that I've placed some new ones on. I thought the old ones were a bit... old. The menu needed some zing to it."

"And yet those old ones were you and your ex-boss's creations, mainly yours though." Claire laughed a bit.

"Well, it was about time I added some new ones. Since the old ones were surprisingly doing quite well, I figured why not add some more. Be right back, okay?"

With that he headed to do whatever he was suppose to do, leaving Claire there to decide. A lot had changed since the first time she stumbled in. About a year ago, Kale's ex-boss decided to call it quits; he didn't want the bar anymore. That's when Kale stepped in. Kale had always wanted a bar to call his own; and when he found out that his ex-boss placed the bar up for sale, Kale jumped at the opportunity. And so, after Kale purchased it from his ex-boss, he made a few changes to the menu but left the décor alone and changed the name of it to Kale's Place. He was mighty proud of it.

Ever since the day Claire met Kale, their friendship developed into something very special. Nothing was able to penetrate it. And they both supported each other. Whenever Claire felt sad cause of a certain problem, Kale was there for her and helped her through it. And vice-versa. One time Kale had just gone through a horrible break-up and came to Claire at her place which shocked her. It took almost a week for him to get over the break-up. And during that time, she insisted that he stayed at her place which he did without protest. She did everything she could to help him though it but feared he wouldn't get through it. But she was persistent; and she never gave up. She never knew what exactly what caused him to get over it, but she suspected it was when Kat decided to visit her out of the blue. That was the first time Kat and Kale met. Of course, Kat misunderstood some stuff, but once that was cleared up the visit went a lot smoother.

Kale came back over to Claire while she was lost in memories. Deciding to play a game, he stood in front of her while leaning his arms on the counter and staring at her. He didn't know what was going through her head exactly, but he knew that she would eventually snap out of it.

Deep in her thoughts, Claire sensed something but couldn't identify it. Then it hit her. Shivers went down her spine indicating to her that someone was staring at her. She always had hated that. Looking up from the menu she was memorized in, she noticed the source and almost jumped out of her seat. "Gah! Kale, how long have you been there?"

"Oh about an hour or so." he teased

"What! If I had known..."

"Relax Claire. I just messing with ya. It's only been a few minutes." Kale interrupted. "Did you decide?"

"Just the usual."

"Thought you would." He slid the ready made drink to her. "So what's on your mind?"

"Lots."

"Claire, you'll have to be more specific. Like is it good? Bad?" he inquired, grabbing a cloth.

"Both?"

"Come on Claire! It must be something pretty interesting." he said, wiping the counter for invisible stains.

"I bought a farm." she blurted.

He stopped wiping. "Wait, did you say farm? Am I hearing this correctly? Cause I distinctly heard the word _farm_."

"Yeah. I. Bought. A. Faaarm." she dragged out.

"Really? I never saw that coming." He paused. "You're probably wondering what I think about it, right?"

"You know the drill."

"Well, umm. You know, for once I don't think I have words. I really don't know what to say. I guess congrats are in order. But don't take it the wrong way. It's not like I'm not happy for you cause I really am. It's just... like I said, never saw that one coming. When did this happen?" he returned wiping the counter.

"About a week or so ago. Reason why I'm still here is because I have so many things to take care of such as paper work, primarily for my condo. I'm working out the details for Kat to have my condo since I won't be around anymore. She really wants it bad."

"So if you already had taken care of that, you would have been gone by now?"

"Don't be ridiculous Kale! I wouldn't leave without a proper good-bye to you! You of all people should know that!" she scolded. "You as well as Kat are the only good here in this dreaded city which kind of makes it hard to have to eventually go. Yeah, I somewhat know that I made a good decision, but at the same time..."

"You have doubts." he interrupted.

"Yeah."

"Claire, if you think you'll be happier there than here, then stop it with the doubts."

"But..."

"No buts. I know how much you don't really like the city, even though you never told me directly yourself. I saw it in your body language, if that makes any sense. And from your random ramblings of why people here are so rude and pushy and such—I guess you can say I saw something coming, but I certainly wasn't thinking of a farm." He paused. "So Claire, I'm here to say that you did make a good decision, regardless of what might be going though that little blonde head of yours."

"You really think I did?"

Done with wiping, he stored the cloth away. "No, I know you did. Everyone is an individual, right? And every individual makes decisions, whether good or bad. This decision of yours, I believe, will lead to something you probably haven't imagined. But if you are worried of how I feel, then I say don't be. Yeah I'll miss you like a turtle who miss his shell-"

"Really Kale? A turtle shell?" she interrupted.

"Like a kid his candy? Like a dog his bone? That's not the point. My point is, Claire, I'm really going to miss you when you do go. I'll miss our little chats here very much. But as long as I know that you are safe and happy, that's all I really need to know... oh and maybe we could do our little chats via video chats?"

"Of course, Kale. We can still do them, though I don't know how often."

"Then don't worry at all, okay? And that's an order!" he playfully commanded.

"Yes sir!" she responded, saluting.

They both broke down laughing.

"So, when are you leaving anyways?" Kale continued with the conversation.

"Umm, well, after the whole condo thing. Oh wait, I have to call this guy named Max and then wait for him to return my call and come pick me up."

"Do they know you aren't three?"

Claire stifled a laugh. "Don't ask me why I have to jump through hoops; I guess maybe cause this guy Zack, who delivers goods to and fro from the mainland to the island, is very busy; I don't know. Well, it's what the mayor said."

"So it's an island, eh?"

"Yeah, seems that way. Though I don't know why I've never heard of it. Meh. It's probably too insignificant for big time news which will be nice for a change. I won't have to wake up and find out that there's been a shooting six blocks from where I live. I think that's the main thing I'll enjoy: the peacefulness."

"But isn't farm work hard?"

"I'll manage; I always do somehow. And I don't think I have much to do. Anyways, Kale, I have to go now. As usual, I enjoyed our chat!" she said smiling.

"And I as well." he chirped. "Party before you leave this city?"

"I guess. Small one though with the three of us—you, me, and Kat... and possibly Max, since he's my _babysitter_ so to say. Details when I know"

Kale chuckled. "Alright Claire. See you later."

"Bye Kale!"

Claire paid for her drink and left the bar. On her way back to her condo, she thought about everything Kale said to her and about her future new life as a farmer which was around the corner.

* * *

The next week came quickly for Claire. And the paperwork for Kat owning Claire's condo also got finished quickly, much to Claire's amazement. She then decided that it would be the ideal time to quit her job. So she did. But which was even more shocking was that Max called her to let her know that he was going to arrive early next morning. To Claire, that meant she had to scramble to pack her things and inform both Kat and Kale about a good-bye party. Since Claire was still living in her old condo under Kat's approval or rather command, she figured that the party would be best there.

Kat, of course, knew about the party after Claire's call from Max. So while Kat prepared for it, Claire first informed Kale about it via phone and then scrambled to pack her things. Among her things were her clothes, which was a lot, her favorite TV shows and movies, and any electronics she could cram into her suitcases. And she planned to cram all of her electronics, or at the very least her laptop and DVD player. That was the plan.

The hours seemed to fly cause before Claire knew it, it was dark out; and that meant that her party would soon begin. Hearing a knock coming from the door, she rushed over to open it. It was Kale. She welcomed him in thus starting the party. The three of them talked, watched a movie, and talked some more all while eating popcorn, pizza, and drinking pop—the three _p_'s in life!

Then an unsuspecting knock came from the door. Puzzled, Claire got up from the couch she was sitting on with her two friends and walked over to the door. Opening it, she found the shock of her life. It was...

"Uh, hey."

"Jason!" she exclaimed, mouth wide open. She wasn't too happy. "What the heck are you doing here!"

"I came to stop you from leaving and to get..."

"Get out!"

"No! Not until..."

"Get out!"

"Not until..."

"You!" both Kale and Kat shouted, interrupting Jason. They both had realized from Claire's tone that it was _that_ man! "How dare you come here! You heard Claire! Get out!" Kat spoke first, or rather yelled.

"You heard both of them. Get out or I'll make you get out." Kale growled, stepping almost in front of Claire.

Jason didn't know what to do, and he certainly didn't want to get his jaw punched again. Defeated, he left but not without muttering something that neither the three of them heard.

"Of all the nerve..." Claire muttered.

"Come on Claire." Kat said, lightly pulling her arm, "Forget about that loser. Let's just continue having a good time."

The three of them walked back to the couch and decided to watch another movie. But when the movie ended, tears began to appear. Those tears belonged to Kat. Kat knew that the next few moments were going to be the last time that she and Claire and even Kale would be together. Hugging Claire as if she would leave that second, Kat just broke down. Yeah, she approved her best friend's decision, but that didn't mean she wouldn't miss her terribly. Kat wished that that night, minus the annoying appearance of that pathetic excuse of a man, would never end; that it would somehow last forever. She wished that those sci-fi movies Claire eventually convinced her to watch were real; that the things in them such as the ability to stop time were real. But sadly they weren't. Kat knew that; she knew that Claire was leaving early next morning. And by thunder! She would make sure that every minute she had with Claire was no minute left wasted.

"Kat, I can't breath." Claire gasped.

Kat ignored her. Desperately trying to escape her best friend's tight hug, Claire gave Kale a help-me-please look. Kale understood and tried to gently pry Kat off from Claire. "Kat you have to let go of her. She can't breath properly. She's not going right this instant."

But as soon as Kale successfully pried Kat off from Claire, Kat turned to Kale and hugged him instead leaving Claire to regain her normal breathing patterns. Kale wasn't sure what to do but eventually decided to rub the dark chocolate haired young woman's back. "There, there Kat."

Claire softly placed her hand on Kat's shoulder. "Kat?"

Kat mumbled something about bottling before she released her grip on Kale. Wiping her eyes with her hands, Kat then proceeded to explain to Claire that she was taking Claire's eventual departure a lot harder than she had anticipated. Before Kat could say anything more, Claire embraced both her and Kale. "I expect the two of you to be up early in the morning so that I can see you guys one last time before I go. That means, you Kale, are not leaving tonight; you're sleeping here."

"Yes ma'am." he lightly joked.

The three of them remained in an embrace for a little while before heading towards their respectable places of rest. Kale took the couch while Kat and Claire took the rather large bed, located in Claire's or rather Kat's bedroom. The next morning definitely would be a morning that none of them would forget.

* * *

**So Claire has another friend, Kale. Hope you liked his character—I completely made him up. He's actually pretty fun to write.  
I gave some background to him cause, well, if I didn't I'm sure everyone would be like o_O "Who's this dude?" or like that XD**

**And yes, Claire likes sci-fi... as well as I do lol!**

**Ah, well, hope everyone enjoyed this! :D  
Thanks for reading! ^_^  
Will update asap!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Surprise! You didn't think I would update that quick, now did you?  
I kind of want to get to this one part that.. well, you'll find out! :P**

So, hope you enjoyed last chapter! :)  
Oh, this one I talk more about Max, Zack's brother whom I also made up. Meh, I felt like it. :P  
And this chappy is where she finally arrives at Mineral Town. :D Yay!  
I assure, you: things are going to get interesting. ^_^

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Flying. Something Claire felt unsure about. Yet, she read articles and such how flying is the safest method of travel, but that still didn't give her comfort. Maybe it was because she never had been on a plane before. Or maybe the possibility of something blowing up within the tanks scared her. She didn't know. All she knew was that she was leaving everything and everyone that she knew behind. But it was for her best interests, right? Or so her two friends had kept reminding her.

Kale and Kat. That morning had been full of emotions.

_A knock woke the three sleeping young adults. Kale, who had been sleeping in the main room on the couch, was the one to answer the door. "Hi, I'm Max. This is Claire's, right?" a man with a buzz cut said._

"_Yeah it is... sort of. Long story." Kale yawned. "Hold on. I'll get the two sleeping beauties up." Walking towards the girl's bedroom, he continued, "You can come in if you like; just shut the door after you enter."_

_As Max walked in, Kale snatched a couch cushion, opened the girl's bedroom, and threw the cushion at the sleeping beauties. "Get up Claire! Max is here! You too Kat: get up!" he almost yelled. _

_The girls moaned and complained. "Not cool, Kale, not—oh! Did you say Max is here?" Claire quickly realized. Muttering under her breath, Claire quickly dashed into the bathroom, almost slipping on the tile floors._

_Kat glared at Kale. "You didn't have to throw the bloody cushion!"_

"_Well I did!" Kale retorted, sticking out his tongue._

"_Just wait till Claire leaves. Then you won't have anyone to defend you!"_

"_I can defend myself just fine, thank you very much." he smirked, "But for the record, I'd like to see you try it—whatever you have _planned_." Kat rolled her eyes._

"_Kaaale!" Claire shouted, "Can you take my suitcases to the door? They are in the corner by the bedroom dresser."_

_While Kale dragged and carried Claire's suitcases, Kat grabbed her robe and walked out of the bedroom catching sight of Max. "Sooo, you're Max."_

"_Last time I checked." he teased._

"_Oooh, A funny man!" she stated, still annoyed at what Kale had done, "The name's Kat. So what exactly do you do?" she inquired._

"_I'm basically the mainland guy who takes care of everything related to the mainland. Usually that involves helping my brother, Zack, with shipments and/or orders. But today my task involves accompanying Claire to the island."_

"So you live on the island too?"

"_No, I live on the mainland. Like I said, I'm the mainland guy."_

"_Ah, of course..." she trailed off, her mind being elsewhere._

"_Is Claire ready? Cause we have to be at the airport in-"_

"_She's almost." Kale interrupted while setting down the last of Claire's suitcases, "So the island has an airport?" Kale inquired._

"_No. The only way to get there is by boat."_

_Kale opened his mouth about to say something, but Claire dashed out of the bedroom. "I'm so so sorry. It's just sometimes sleep takes over me and I forget and-"_

"_Don't worry about it." Max said, "But we do have to go very very soon if we are to make it to the airport on time."_

"_Okay." turning to her two friends, she commenced on saying good-bye, "Bye Kale" she said while hugging him. He tightly embraced her letting her know that he would miss her terribly._

"_Be safe, okay?" he whispered._

"_Don't worry, I will."_

"_You're wearing the same thing from last night? A bit lazy now?" he teased._

"_Shut up Kale."_

_After the embrace, she faced Kat and noticed that her best friend was beginning to break down again. "Kat, come here." she motioned to Kat._

_Kat embraced Claire and started to cry uncontrollably. "I know I told myself that I wouldn't cry or anything like that, but I can't help it. I don't want you to go, but at the same time I want you to be happy. And I don't want you to stay somewhere where you won't be all the way happy. My emotions are a mess right now."_

"_We'll still be able to communicate and keep in touch, you know."_

"_But it won't be the same thing, Claire!" complained Kat, "We won't have those outings; we won't be able snicker with each other at some random person's clothing; we won't be able to do any of that. I know it's better than nothing, but still. Maybe I'm just selfish."_

"_You can always take a pic of the person and then show me it when on video chat with me; then we can poke fun at them as long as you like." Kat tried to smother a giggle in the midst of her tears but failed somewhat._

_Releasing Claire, Kat whimpered, "I'm really going to miss you..."_

"_Me too, Kat, me too."_

_By then Max had grabbed as much as Claire's luggage as he could, leaving her to carry what was left. She waved good-bye to her two friends, sad yet at the same excited for her new life._

They were still on her mind. Never would she ever forget them.

Staring out the window into the clouds, Claire again got lost in her thoughts. She knew that every minute went by she was getting closer and closer to her new life. And it scared her a bit. A new home, a new lifestyle, new people—what would it be like?

_**Amazing! It'll be amazing! I don't know about you, well I do know you, but I'm kind of looking forward to this new chapter of our lives!**_

_Oh no, not you again!_

_**Oh yes!**_

_What do you want now?_

_**Nothing particularly.**_

_What do you mean nothing?_

_**You should know.**_

_Know what? I don't know anything! What are you trying to say?_

_**Hehe, you did it again.**_

_Oh shut up! Of all consciences I get, I get you!_

_**You do realize you just insulted yourself.**_

_Look! If you don't-_

_**You'll what?**_

_Gah! Why am I even arguing with you?_

_**Correction: you're arguing with yourself since-**_

_Since you are me and I am you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Now stop being sarcastic and continue with what you were planning to say._

_**I was planning to say something?**_

_One's conscience usually doesn't speak up for the sake of small talk._

_**They don't?**_

_Arghh! Would you stop it already! Just speak!_

_**Woof!**_

_Grrr! If you were tangible..._

_**I technically am but... alright, alright, alright. I'll get down to business before you or rather we implode.**_

_THANK YOU!_

_**You know how you are worried about our new life ahead of us and that—well, don't. Yeah, Change is a pain in you know where, but sometimes it's quite rewarding. Imagine all the adventures we'll have! ...on a farm-**_

_What's wrong with a farm?_

_**Nothing it's just.. well, it's a farm: you work, you sweat, you work, you sweat, you sweat some more, and much more.**_

_So? Hard work won't kill us. It builds character. And it'll be rewarding: planting the little seeds in the ground, watching them shoot up to the sky, reaching for the sun!_

_**Yeah, but it's a small town; it's not all about farm work. We need to socialize! Which I can't wait to do by the way. I'm sure the people there will be nice since it's a small town located on an island. I'll bet we'll make some friends there! Ooo! I wonder if there are any hot guys there too... oh and you've been watching too much Green Acres.**_

_True, tr—wait a minute! Did you say hot guys! No, no, no, you are _so_ not my conscience! Otherwise you would know that I am _done_ with men._

_**Oh, but I **_**am****_! And deep down inside you are wondering the same thing._**

_Am not!_

_**Are so!**_

_Am not!_

_**Are so!**_

_...maybe a little-_

**Oooooo_-!_**

But_ that doesn't mean I'll date again. It's just... I'm a bit curious that's all. Ain't all girls are?_

_**But **_**you****_ or I should say _we_ aren't like other girls._**

_Just go with it, alright! Geez! Just be serious for once!_

_**Oh, but I **_**am****_ being serious. You just don't see that. Anyways, we just landed and someone is poking you right now but of course you don't notice this. Heck, you didn't even notice that we had descended to the ground!_**

_Huh? I mean-_

"Huh?" Turning around she saw Max.

"We've landed Claire. You really must've been in deep thought, the way you were staring out of the window even when we descended." he chuckled.

"That's one way of putting it..." she trailed off.

Stepping off the plane, they headed towards their next destination: Max's place. But first they had to gather Claire's mountain of luggage.

To Claire, it seemed like the cab was going in circles, sideways, and everything in between. But it's not like it gave her motion sickness. She had a pretty strong stomach; and she had to. Growing up with the parents she had, she taught her stomach early on to just deal with anything such as the aroma of alcohol in the house. The odor though was primarily dominate during the majority of high school. But the odor of alcohol wasn't the only thing she had to deal with when she was younger. There was the stench and appearance of puke. And the majority of the times she or her brother had to clean up the mess, especially if their parents had huge hangovers which was like always. To top it all off, Claire's parents even smoked. Add that to the stench of alcohol and puke and that clearly made her stomach strong. That made motion sickness (if she ever got it which was never) a walk in the park.

Often times she wondered why her and her brother weren't taken away. The neighbors could have said something for that to happen. But the thing is her parents always acted differently around the neighbors than in the house. And no matter how much Claire tried to protest and show the other side of her parents to people, no one would believe. No one but, of course, her brother who saw first hand.

Her brother. A subject which Claire tried to forget. And she succeeded in that, for the most part. Now wasn't the time for her to dwell on the past, since her new life became even closer when the cab stopped in front of Max's place.

His place wasn't that big, but it wasn't a shack either. From the outside, Claire saw white wooden panels which were quite worn out. The house looked like it would fall apart if one just looked at it the wrong way. Nothing special caught her eye really except for maybe a dead plant or two. But she wasn't sure since Max had insisted her to wait for him in the house while he loaded her luggage onto his boat.

She glanced around the inside of the house while deciding to take a seat on a couch. His house had a basic kitchen, some couches and decorations, and a rather large TV. There were also two other rooms: Claire concluded that they were his bedroom and bathroom.

Claire sighed and began to think while waiting for Max. But before she could think about anything significant, she snapped to the attention to a rather angry woman. Why she was angry, Claire couldn't figure that one out. The woman went on and on and on how Claire was trespassing and invading private property. Claire couldn't get a word in since the woman was talking and talking and talking—she wouldn't shut up! Finally the woman asked a question, a question that she should have asked in the beginning, "Just who are _you_ and what are _you_ doing here? she demanded. So it was two questions which didn't surprise Claire at all.

"I-"

"Wait! I know who you are! _Dammit_! Does he think that he could go off like that with other woman and not be noticed by _me_, his _wife_! You better get ready to receive a whoopin' from me Missy!"

"No wait! You have it all wrong!" Claire quickly stumbled off the couch, wanting as much distance away from the mad woman. "Max and I aren't together. He's just taking me over to the island. I swear! I'm telling the truth! Ask him when he comes in."

"Oh I will! Don't you worry about that! But right now I'm gonna teach you a lesson."

"_Lana!_" Max yelled, much to Claire's relief, "**What the hell do you think you're trying to prove?**"

"Don't you _Lana_ me! I know what's going on here—you and-"

"Nothing is going on! She's simply here cause later I'll be taking her to the island! But I thought she would like to have lunch first! It's the neighborly thing to do!"

"Neighborly my-"

"Why do you always do this Lana?"

"Why do you always do _this_?" she gestured towards Claire.

Max glanced at Claire giving her a I'm-so-so-sorry look and continued his argument with his wife, "I'm not doing anything but my job! Always have; always will. Dammit! Why can't you see that?"

"What? _This_?" she threw a piece of pink lingerie at him. That was Claire's cue to leave_._

She sneaked out of the house, unnoticed by either party. Glad that she was out of there, she headed towards the boat. She decided, empty stomach or not, that she would wait for Max at the boat. It wasn't too hard for her to find it since no signs of other possible boats were present. It looked like Max owned the lone small dock himself.

The boat was your basic motor boat and not a large one for that matter. It had a small cabin where the helm resided. But above the cabin resided another one. Claire figured that the top one was for days that the weather was pleasant. On the side of the boat read _S. S. Minnow__. _Her eyes bulged out and found herself chuckling. ___Someone has been watching too much Gilligan's Island._ she thought, ___I just hope it's not a three hour trip! But still: it's nice to find a person who also enjoys the classics._

Ten minutes passed and Claire finally saw Max coming out of the house heading towards her. "I'm so so sorry Claire. I really am." he apologized when he reached her. "Lana can be..."

"Barbaric?"

"Well no and yes." he chuckled. "She can be very jealous at times—and I mean _very_." Climbing onto the boat and then helping Claire up, he continued, "In the end it was all a misunderstanding. You see, our anniversary is coming up and I wanted to get her something nice. She, of course, didn't believe me so I had to show her the card I got her... then the receipt to the card. That woman can get on my nerves at times, but I love her to bits! Though I like to stay out of the house as much as I can."

"I don't blame you for doing that."

"Well, enough of my crazy life. Let's say we get you over to your new life as a farmer!" he declared, "Oh, before I forget," tossing one of the wrapped sandwiches that he had towards Claire, he continued, "since you must be hungry, I thought a sandwich was in order. Though it was somewhat hard to make while listening to a nagging woman..." he trailed off, "It's not much but it'll tie you over till we reach the island."

"Thanks!" she replied.

Ripping the wrapped sandwich open, Claire greedily ate her sandwich. It had been awhile since she ate last—early that morning to be exact. A few snacks on the plane she had had, but it wasn't enough to call it a meal. She didn't considered the sandwich a meal either, but it was better than nothing.

By the time she was done eating her sandwich, Max finished preparing the boat. All set they sailed off into the deep blue ocean. That's when Claire's mind decided to wander... again. She had been doing a lot of that lately—thinking. But who wouldn't? Especially in her situation. Heading towards a new life wasn't something to be taken lightly, not in Claire's eyes that is. She didn't just brush it aside like some people would have. No. She had to think about it to the point where it somewhat frightened her. But deep down inside, she somehow knew that everything would be alright. How she knew this, she didn't know nor tried to understand. She just... knew.

Her thoughts prematurely stopped when her eyes caught a glimpse of what she believed to be a dolphin. Looking for that magnificent sea creature, she scanned the ocean hoping to see it again. And she did along with some of it's buddies. Claire only had observed those sea creatures in zoos, but watching them out in the wild—well, it wasn't the same to her. Max smiled when he saw how fascinated Claire was. He, of course, saw them everyday; it wasn't new to him. But that didn't mean he didn't enjoy them. They were so to say his pals.

He then decided to slowly stop the boat. Puzzled, Claire cocked her head to the side. He explained to her that sometimes the dolphins would come up to the boat allowing a person to pet them and thought she would want to do that. She enthusiastically agreed to that. He slid down from the top of the cabin and whistled out to them. Over the years he had built a lasting friendship with these dolphins; and they both trusted each other. So it was no surprise to him that they swam over.

Leaning over the boat at the stern, Claire easily felt the soft, rubbery skin of one of the dolphins. She squealed like a little girl playing. Never had she felt a dolphin. Yes there were many opportunities at a zoo, but she never got around to it mainly because of money. And here she was petting one free of charge! No wait, she was petting more than one! Words cannot convey how excited she was.

But it soon had to end. Claire kissed the dolphins good-bye then waved at them as they swam off. That was a cue for Max to start the boat back up. Continuing on their journey, Claire sat back down and stared back at the ocean, lost in her thoughts yet again.

It seemed like only a second went by before they reached their destination—that's how deep her thoughts were. Climbing out of the boat, she stared at her new surroundings. To the right were two buildings, both wooden. The closest of them was the brown wooden one which looked more like a cabin. Beside that one was another boat. _That boat must be Zack's. _Claire concluded. Looking to the left, she saw a vast array of off-white sand. She knew that she would have a blast at the beach when summer arrived.

Her sight seeing was interrupted when she noticed a fairly tall, burly man exiting the cabin-like building and heading towards her. When she got a better look at him, she wondered if he was ever in the military, with his flattop buzz cut. But she quickly threw that thought away saying to herself not to base her conclusions on misconceptions. He wore a light grey tank top with a towel hanging from his shoulders and blue sweat pants. "You must be the new farmer Claire, right?" he said in a friendly manner.

"Uh huh."

"Name's Zack!"

"Max's brother." she stated.

"The one and only!" he grinned. "Welcome here!"

Claire nodded. Zack then turned his attention to his brother and automatically went to help him unload Claire's luggage. Claire felt useless standing around doing nothing and decided to help out. But the brothers insisted that they take care of it. Reluctantly, she waited.

Her attention then turned to another person heading towards her. Unlike Zack, this person was short and wore a red outfit with a red top hat to match. Along with the ensemble of red, this person also wore a blue shirt underneath and a yellow bowtie. Claire couldn't help but giggle to herself. _Hmm... red and blue and even yellow—Superman! Buut he doesn't look like it. Oh and a bowtie; everyone knows bowties are cool! Haha, I've been watching too much TV..._

"Why hello there! You must me Claire. I am the mayor here in Mineral Town, but you can call me Thomas." he chirped.

"And the person whom I talked to over the phone?" she asked.

"That's exactly right! Now if you come with me I'll take you to your new farm!"

"What about my luggage? I can't just leave it here, and I can't carry it all in one trip."

"Don't worry about your luggage. Max and I will deliver it to your farm." Zack reassured her.

"Thanks Zack."

"See? Nothing to worry about. Now come this way. I have a feeling that you will like it here." the mayor said confidently.

Not wanting to be completely useless, Claire asked if she could at least take one of her bags. The brothers figured "why not" and allowed her to take one. Then she rushed towards the mayor so that she could catch up.

The mayor first led her to a square paved with bricks. "This is Rose Square." he told her.

He then explained to her that Rose Square was a place where festivals were held. "And be sure to come and join the festivals and just have fun." he chirped.

Taking her to the left from the entrance to the beach, he then led her past a farm. _Huh. I thought an animal farm would be at least a couple acres or so. Meh, it's probably a small farm._

_**Nice eye for the obvious! And it's a ranch not a farm, Einstein. **_

_Shut up!_

"This here is Yodel Ranch where you can buy cows and sheep." he interrupted her little argument with herself much to her relief, "Once you have a mature cow or sheep, you may enter them in festivals." he droned on.

Walking past Yodel Ranch, the mayor led her by another farm. "This here is the Poultry Farm. Here you can buy chickens. There's also a chicken festival held every summer where you can enter any mature chicken. Oh and across from the Poultry Farm and to our right lies an empty lot." he droned on again.

Both walking, he continued, "And straight ahead of us is the Blacksmith; that's where you take your tools to. And beside the Blacksmith is Aja Winery. They grow grapes for the production of wine which they then sell. They also make some of the greatest grape juice you can ever have! There are other buildings as you follow the right path. There's a supermarket, a clinic, a church, and even an inn and other buildings as well. But we are going left over this here bridge to your new farm."

_Finally! I don't think I'll be able to handle him rambling about this and that anymore although it's all good info. Though I'm curious of that winery; it's so small; you'd think there would be at least a couple acres of grapes growing..._

Just as they entered her farm catching a good view of all it's glory, Claire stopped in her tracks and dropped the bag she was carrying. Shock came over her as her mouth gaped. Right then and there she knew for a fact never trust a newspaper—ever!

* * *

**Yeah, so I even touched on Claire's past: she didn't really have a good one did she. And looks like she has a brother!  
I love writing arguments with Claire's self ^_^ it's fun!**

**Oh, and before I forget—which I should have done at the beginning—I own nothing, save any characters that I personally make up. That means I don't own Harvest Moon, Gilligan's Island, or Superman (which would've been awesome if I did!). Or anything else.  
Oh, and bowties are cool! ^_^ I'll let everyone figure that one out XD  
And there was a reason why I named Max's ship the _S. S. Minnow. _XD  
**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter here! :D  
And thanks for reading! :)  
More's coming!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yup! Another one! :D Same day!  
You guys are getting spoiled here. XD**

**This one... I think you guys will like—well, I'm hoping that you will. Oh, and there quite a bit of description in this one, but I made up for it with humor. :) (well, tried lol)  
So, enjoy! :D  
Oh, and I own nothing—purely fan fic, but you guys already know that.. yeah..**

* * *

"So? What do you think?" the mayor asked.

"What do I think? What do I think! I think I would like to kill the person who came up with that stupid advertisement!" Claire fumed.

"You really believed that cheesy advertisement? Hahahaha! You've been tricked!"

"Thanks for pointing the obvious!" she gritted her teeth.

Just as if it couldn't get any worse, the mayor laughed even more and louder. Claire gave him her best death glare. If looks could kill, then he would have been dead ten times over. The mayor noticed her stance and quickly his laughter subsided. He then cleared his throat. "S-Sorry. It's just many city people such as yourself had been here before, took one look at the farm, and ran to the hills quicker than you can say _Mary had a little lamb_. It's been awhile since the last the last one came though..." he trailed off, "I had almost forgotten what a good ol' laughter was!" he chuckled, "That advertisement I placed in the papers has given me some good laughs."

Claire glared at him even harder, causing him to quiver in his boots. "You were the one! Gah!..." she trailed off, "I didn't just came here on a vacation, you know. I sold basically everything and quit my job. And no where else to go." she muttered.

"But you do have somewhere to go: _here_!" he reminded her, "Why don't you just run the farm like you originally were going to do? I know it's a total disaster—and it has been for years now—but with a little hard work, I'm sure you can get this farm back to the way it was, maybe even better! The house surprisingly is in pretty good condition—a kitchen, bathroom, living room, two bedrooms..." he trailed off. "What do think?"

"Well, farm work is hard work after all—that I know..." her anger by then had subsided, "Alright. I'll stay; it's not like I need to be anywhere else."

"That's the spirit! I know that you'll do very well!" he chirped, "Don't hesitate to ask anyone here in Mineral Town for any assistance. You will find that the people here are pleasant and more than willing to help out." he turned around, exiting the farm. "I know that you'll be happy here, Claire!" he called back.

And he left, leaving Claire to blow her bangs out from her face. Weeds, rocks, branches, and weeds—all of them stared back at her. It would certainly be awhile till her enormous field be clear of all debris.

Sighing, she grabbed the dropped bag and headed inside of her new home. _Now _this_ is an improvement compared to the dump of a field! _she thought when inside.

_**No kidding!**_

_Finally, we agree on something._

_**Ehhh, don't get used to it.**_

Mayor Thomas wasn't kidding; the house was in very good condition aside from the dust. In the somewhat middle of the room, light colored couches were placed in a _U_ shape with a brown coffee table in the middle and an intricate rug underneath it all. A big widescreen television hanged on the light yellow wall in front of the _U_ shaped sitting area. Below the television stood a quaint little wooden cabinet, perfect for storing all her DVDs. And if she ever ran out of room, two wooden bookshelves stood on either side of the little cabinet on the floor. There was also evidence of a room that extended into the living room to the middle of the left couch. Claire concluded that that room was the bathroom. Looking back at the television, she noticed something. _You've got to be kidding me! No DVD player! I wished I had taken out more stuff for mine to fit in one my suitcases... that's the first thing I'll be ordering that's for sure! Have to have a DVD player... welll, I don't _have_ to per say, but I'm gonna. Good thing I have my laptop cause I don't see any more electronic devices. Looks like I'll be ordering some more electronics in the near future._

Claire glanced over to the left and noticed a large rectangular archway which served as an entrance to the kitchen. Heading towards the kitchen, she noticed plenty of counters. The layout of the counters sort of looked like a sideways _U._ And there was plenty of cupboards. _Shoot! I don't have any dishes._ She dashed towards the cupboards, ripping some of them open. To her relief she found dishes, dusty but useable. Whirling away from the wooden cupboards, she looked in front of her and saw a rather quaint looking wooden dining table in front of a small rectangular window. She could easily entertain... once she made some friends.

Leaving the kitchen and passing by the living room, Claire saw two wooden doors. She assumed that these were the two bedrooms which the mayor was taking about. Opening the first one she came to, she glanced inside. There was a queen-size bed located to the right against the wall. In front of the bed, a wooden dresser stood leaning against the same wall. Beside the bed stood a wooden nightstand with an old-fashioned clock on top as well as a little lamp. _Yeah... definitely will be doing some decorating in the near future... like seriously! The color of the walls are the same everywhere... well, I guess it's not so bad... not entirely that is. But other things... but that's not a priority right now though I should look into a much bigger dresser. And where's a closet? My clothes are so not going fit in this place... _She then opened the second the door and saw basically the same thing only everything mirrored.

Near the second bedroom door, she found a wooden chest. She opened it and found some old-fashioned farm tools. _So it's that kind of farming here... I guess I could get used to that. Ooo! What's this? _Spotting something, she pulled out the mystery item. _A pair of denim overalls. They seem to look big though, but I guess I could use them. It beats ruining my good jeans. I have plenty of collared shirts that I could wear with these overalls too. _Sighing, she then closed the chest. She then threw the overalls into the first bedroom she had looked in.

Claire realized that she didn't take a look in the bathroom. But as she was heading towards the bathroom, she heard a knock on her door. _Who would be—oh yeah, I forgot. _Opening her front door, she found the two people she expected, Zack and Max. "Like promised, here we are!" Zack chirped.

"Thank you both for your help." she thanked them, "Just place them, umm..." looking around her living room she caught the perfect place, "in that corner." She pointed to the left where nothing resided.

They both obeyed. By the time they were done, the corner overflowed with all her luggage. She really did brought too much with her. "Claire, you sure brought a lot with you." Max sighed.

"That's what you've been telling me ever since you picked me up." she pointed out.

"Well then, I guess we'll be off now." Zack changed the subject, "Oh, before I forget, just so you know I'm in charge of shipping for Mineral Town. Anything you want to sell—whether it may be from the mountains or mines or your farm—just place the items in the shipping bins located in your barn, chicken coop, and outside in front of your field. And at 5 PM everyday, I'll come and collect what you shipped and take it to the city to sell which I then will give you the money once I return. I will send your profits to you in the mail, so look out for it okay? But I won't come on holidays though. I need a break once in a while too!" he grinned, "So work hard, but not too hard! Otherwise you might land in the clinic. Okay?"

"Okay." the blonde echoed.

"See you around Claire!" Zack chirped.

"See you around too, Zack. Bye Max! Say hi to Lana for me!" she lightly joked.

"Bye Claire!" he chuckled.

After watching them leave, Claire went back into her house. She had one more room to see and aimed to see it. Opening the bathroom door, she looked around. It wasn't the fanciest. The bathroom was a light blue, walls and tiles. In front of her was a white porcelain toilet with a matching sink and mirror beside it. And to the far right beside the sink was a matching bath tub, suitable for bubble baths. Above the tub was a pole which Claire concluded that that was for a curtain in case one preferred a shower over a bath. _Need to get a curtain. I much prefer a shower over a bath any day. A bath you just sit in your own filth. _She shuddered at the thought. _But I'll have to take baths till I get one though... oh joy._ Claire then exited out and closed the bathroom door.

Looking around her, she decided that she should do some dusting. And boy did the house needed it! _Good thing I brought a Swiffer duster! _Coughing and sneezing from time to time, she went from the living room to the bedrooms to the bathroom and finished with the kitchen. The end result—well, the house was spotless! Not an ounce of dust was to be found.

Claire then plopped herself on one of her couches. Sighing, she debated want to do next. She could go out and introduce herself to the townsfolk, but it was already getting a bit late. She decided she would do that tomorrow. Then there was the question of unpacking the mountain of luggage she brought with her. That task even rivaled clearing her field; that's how much she brought with her. _Well, might as well unpack and get it over with... even though some things will have to remain in my suitcases, specifically some of my clothes. Have everything but a closet... for the most part. _

She first decided to unpack the suitcases that had her precious DVDs. Unpacking them one by one, she placed them in the little cabinet beneath the television screen. All her DVDs fitted in it quite snugly, to her surprise. She even had room left for more DVDs, if she were to get anymore that is. Glancing at the remote to her television, she decided to turn it on just for a few minutes. She flipped through the channels and to her horror, found that there was only four lousy channels. _Scratch getting the DVD first! I'm going find a way to get more channels! Even if I have to assemble the idiotic satellite dish myself! ...do I have Internet?_

Scrambling off the couch to the suitcase which held her precious laptop, she ripped open the suitcase and turned her laptop on. "**What! There's n-**" _Oh... _She soon discovered that there was indeed Internet. But she would have to wait for it to connect before she could use the Internet. _Phew! At least it's better than no Internet at all. I don't know what I would've done if it never connected. Probably go insane!_

_**Ah! But you are already!**_

_And when did you decide to barge in!_

_**Hmm, just now.**_

_And not before?_

_**Before you were just rambling.**_

_...go away._

_**Sorry, can't! You're stuck with me!**_

_I-_

_**So when are we going to socialize? I want to meet new people!**_

_In case you weren't paying attention the socializing is tomorrow. Right now I'm pretty bushed._

_**Aww, man!**_

_You know for a conscience you sure are strange._

_**That makes you too, you know.**_

_Yeah, well, whatever. I'm pretty tired, and that means that you should be too._

_**Come to think of it I am. I'll sign off now, but that doesn't mean I won't be around in the future.**_

_Oh joy..._

Drowsiness started to get to be a little too much for her, but hunger soon overpowered that. Claire wasn't sure if she had any snacks in any of her suitcases, but she decided to take a gander. Finding some snacks, she ate, went into one of the bedrooms, and collapsed on the fluffy bed. Sleep quickly overtook her.

* * *

A beeping noise caused Claire to sit up quickly. Glancing at the alarm clock, she read the time. _6 AM. Huh, okay, I'll—wait, what? _**"Six in the morning! Who gets up at that time?**" she shouted.

_**Uhhh, farmers do and so did you with your old job back in the city. Duh?**_

_Oh... you know, sometimes you can be... helpful..._

_**Why thank you! But really, we're the same person so we both are!**_

_Yeah well, whatever; let's get on with the day, shall we?_

_**Ooo! Let's!**_

Realizing that she had slept with her clothes on, she sighed and dragged herself towards the bathroom. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her long blonde hair was an absolute mess. _And this is why I tie my hair up before I go to bed..._ Sighing yet again, she reached towards the counter expecting to find a tube of tooth paste but soon realized that she didn't unpack the suitcase with all her bathroom needs. She rolled her eyes as she dragged herself out to the pile of suitcases. Finding the one she wanted, she took it with her as she returned to the bathroom. Then she facepalmed herself. _How can I be so stupid! I need to eat first! _That's when a second facepalm came. She completely forgot that she didn't have any food in the house since she ate all her snacks last night. _What is with me..._ she murmured to herself. She then decided to brush her teeth and all the other things one does in the mornings.

By the time she had gotten ready and dressed, almost three hours had passed... it was one of those mornings. She had decided to wear those overalls, which she had found the day before, with her red flannel shirt. She also had decided to roll up the sleeves of her shirt to three quarter length. But that was all after she had ransacked her suitcases looking for something "decent" to wear. Satisfied with her look, she decided that she would have breakfast at the Inn.

Walking down the path where the Poultry Farm and Yodel Ranch were, Claire's mind started to wander. She wondered when was the right time for her to talk to Kat and Kale. After all, it only had been a day since she last saw them. And she certainly didn't want to put more pang on her two friends, especially Kat. Therefore, she decided to contact them within a week... well, at least until something interesting came up.

Interrupting her thoughts, she noticed a young man tending to some chickens. "Hello!" she greeted, startling the young man. He wore a green long-sleeved shirt with brown pants. Over top of his outfit was a blue apron to protect his regular clothes. His also wore a white headband which kept his fiery orange bangs from his face.

"Oh hello!" he said, "You're the new owner of the farm, right? Claire?"

"Yup! That's me!" she chimed.

"I'm Rick. I live here on the Poultry Farm with my mom and my sister, Popuri. If you ever decide to buy a chicken, stop by. Nice to finally meet you!"

"Likewise."

She saw another person, only this time a young woman, and she was headed towards the two of them. "Who's this Rick? Is this Claire? Like _the _Claire?" inquired the young woman.

_Boy, does everybody know me?_

"Claire," Rick turned his attention towards Claire, "this is my little sister, Popuri. Popuri, this is Claire who bought the farm not too far from here. And far as I know she's _the_ Claire."

_What the hell is that suppose to mean? _The _Claire?_

_**Watch your mouth!**_

_Shut up..._

"Nice to meet you Claire!" Popuri chirped while smiling and squinting her eyes half shut.

"You too, Popuri." Claire said, trying not to sound confused. _Who in the world has pink hair? Is that even natural? Though that red dress of hers is quite nice._

Claire waved good-bye to them and continued onward to the Inn. But it was not long afterward that a young girl's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Hi." the voice said timidly.

"Hello there, and what may your name be?" Claire asked.

"I'm May. Are you the new farmer?" she inquired.

"Yes I am." Claire smiled.

"So you're Claire? _The _Claire?" she timidly asked.

_What's this _the _Claire? That's the second—no wait—third person who said that._

"Yeah, I'm Claire."

May paused for a bit. "I've always wanted a big sister! Will you be my big sister?"

"Sure why not!" Claire smiled.

"Yay!" May cheered.

"I have to go now, May. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay! Bye Big Sister!"

Claire giggled to her self as she continued walking. It was a nice change to see a little girl such as May. In the city, the only little girl she got to see was Kat when totally freaked out by something she really wanted.

She then started to think about her farm—that mess of a farm. How careless she was for believing that phony ad, but she didn't like to dwell on it. What was done was done. It's not like she didn't like it in Mineral Town, cause so far she did. She just was shocked at the whole thing.

That farm of hers certainly was going to take her a long time to restore. _But the hard work will do me some good._

_**And socializing, don't forget that.**_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say..._

_**No seriously, you really need to get out there and start making friends!**_

_What do you think has happened recently? I've met _three_ other people here. Besides, what do you think an inn has?_

_**Food-**_

_Besides that._

_**Well, people of course.**_

_I rest my case._

_**Oy! Now who's the smart aleck!**_

_Are we going to start this again? I don't need this right now; I'm hungry and-_

_**Miserable... which is painfully obvious.**_

_Oy! You wat-_

"Watch where you're going, woman!" Claire snapped back to reality, hearing a gruff voice.

"S-sorry!" she apologized, realizing that she had bumped into someone.

"Well, you should be!" he retorted.

"Excuse me!" Claire raised her voice a bit, blinking.

"You were the one who wasn't watching where you were going." He roughly stated.

"Oh so it's my fault then since I had _my head in the clouds_." she sarcastically remarked, "So it has nothing to do with the fact that you too weren't watching where you were going, otherwise, you would've avoided me."

"You know I don't really need this right now." he started to walk away, gritting his teeth.

"Yeah, well, sorry for apologizing!" she shouted at the walking person. Whether he heard, she didn't know nor did she care. She just wanted to get something in her stomach.

Opening the Inn's doors, she looked around her surroundings. The Inn was full of wooden tables and chairs. _This town sure likes wood. _Directly in front of her towards the back of the room was a bar with, of course, wooden counters and stools. To the left she saw stairs which led to a second story. _Must be where the rooms are. _she concluded.

Claire soon noticed a young woman bouncing towards her. "Hello! And welcome!" she chirped, swinging her ginger color braid, "You must be Claire the new farmer. I'm Ann! Are you here to eat?" she inquired, cocking her head.

_It seems like Mayor Thomas told everyone... though I'm not surprised with all the rambling I had to endure._"Yes I am, and I'm rather famished." Claire stated.

"Well in that case, right this way!" Ann motioned towards the bar.

Just as Claire sat down on a stool, Ann spoke up. "So what'll it be?"

"Anything that's considered breakfast."

"Alright! Be back, okay?"

With that, Ann scampered off to another room. Claire wondered how Ann could be so cheerful. Like there was cheerful; then there was _cheerful _or Ann cheerful, Claire later dubbed it. But then her thoughts wandered to the opposite of cheerfulness: the incident with the grumpy man she encountered. Any happiness on her face quickly drained away. _Gah! How can he be so callous! I apologized but nooo! He had to be rude about it! Jerk..._

Ann returned with Claire's food. "Here ya are!" setting the plate of food down in front of Claire, "It's on the house! And no buts about it!" Ann noticed Claire's demeanor. "Anything the matter?"

"No," Claire lied, "...I mean... yeah..." she quietly answered while wondering why she even did.

Ann looked at her, ready to listen.

Claire played with her food. "It's really nothing, but, uh..." Claire trailed off. "Dammit! Why did he had to be rude and inconsiderate!" she blurted, raising her voice a little.

"I see that you met Mr. Grumpy Face himself, Gray. Or the well known grumpy blacksmith apprentice. I prefer Mr. Grumpy Face though. Don't worry, he's like that to everyone... when he actually talks."

"Still doesn't make what he did right." Claire muttered.

"I'm surprised that he even spoke to you. Usually, he just glares and goes off minding his own business." Ann paused. "Maybe he likes you" she teased.

Claire almost choked on her food. "That's absurd!" Claire snorted, "And even if that were true—which is most unlikely—I certainly don't. He's a jerk."

"Whatever you say Claire..." Ann trailed off.

Claire rolled her eyes and continued eating her food. The idea of him possibly liking her twisted her stomach into knots. But she pushed the subject of him away and concentrated on eating.

At some point, Ann's father came over to where the two were. Ann then introduced her father, Doug, to Claire. Doug smiled at Claire and said that it was a pleasure meeting her. He also invited her to come by often. Turning to his daughter, his whispered something Claire couldn't hear. But Claire did see Ann shrug her shoulders indicating that Ann didn't know the answer to her father's question.

Finished her meal, Claire sighed. Her mind began to wander again, but before she got a chance to get lost in her thoughts, she heard something that she had heard on her walk to the Inn. "I wonder if she could be _the _Claire." Ann whispered under her breath while wiping the counter. But it was loud enough for Claire to hear.

"Dammit!" Claire slammed her fist on the counter causing Ann to jump, "Why do people keep saying if I'm_ the_ Claire or not?" she demanded.

"I, umm-"

"Ann, upstairs is spic and span! So much so that you can eat off the floor! If that's your kind of thing..." a loud voice descending the stairs interrupting Ann and Claire's conversation.

Claire turned around. That voice. That voice was all too familiar to Claire, way too familiar. Yet she refused to believe it; she flat out refused. _No it can't be! It can't be! He's gone; he left; he can't be here in the same place. It's-it's impossible! _her mind raced, trying to find a logical answer.

"Ann, I was wondering..."

The voice stopped abruptly when the owner of the voice saw Claire. His dark brown eyes stared at Claire's sapphire ones. His mouth opened but nothing came out. "C-Claire?" he finally managed to stutter out.

Yup. He was him. That same him whom Claire tried to forget since that fateful day. That was the day when Claire nearly fell apart. And now, he stood right there in front of her.

"Cl-"

"No, just no." she loudly interrupted him, causing everyone to stare at them. Tears began to fall down her face as she tried to continue, "I... How could you!" she choked out.

But before he could give her a response, she ran out of the Inn as if her life depended on it. _After all these years—some of them waiting for him... Why? _Her mind tried to find a logical reason for what she saw but couldn't.

That man she saw; he, whom she had known her entire life, was none other than... her brother.

* * *

**Did any of you saw that coming? Come on, be honest! XD  
So, her brother is right there in Mineral Town—who would've thunk it! Claire definitely wasn't expecting that.**

**Oh, and Claire finally met Gray... though not under good circumstances, and very brief too.  
And of course, Ann; I like Ann—she's like one of my favorite characters! And I _really_enjoy writing her: so expect her to appear frequently. :D**

**Oh and I don't own Swiffer... not that I would want to though... much prefer to own other stuff XD lol!**

**Well, thanks for reading this chapter—words can't convey how much I appreciate you people taking time out of your schedule to read this. :)  
More will be coming!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know what I said on my profile—how it would be a while before I post another chapter... well, I got weak lol! I just wanted to... that and having some writer's block at the moment: like I know exactly where I want to take this story; it's just conveying it in words—you know what I mean?**

**But what I want to know: am I doing okay on this? Like is it really that bad? Or, dare I say, good? I don't know if it is or not cause... well, I'm not entirely getting feedback—and believe me, I LOVE to know what you people out there in cyberspace think: even if you just said hello, it'll tell me that at least some people are reading and (I hope) are enjoying it... *sigh***

**Okay, this chappy will explain a bit of Claire and her brother. Oh, and Claire gets a new friend! ^_^  
Enjoy!  
**

* * *

_Why now of all times? I come to a town where quite frankly I don't know exactly where is _here_ on a map, and it just so happens that _he _lives here. What are the odds in that? Next to nothing that's what._ Claire thought while angrily hammering a big rock. "Dammit! Why won't this dam rock break!" she shouted as she threw the hammer onto the ground.

It had been a week since the day she saw him. Her brother. She had forgotten about him for six years... or rather she had chosen to forget. She had to. She had to move on with her life, but that didn't mean she didn't wait for him before those six years. But those two years she did wait were wasted. That's why it had been easier to chose to forget rather than wait.

_Yelling was heard throughout the house. Accusations back and forth as well as name calling with a hint of insult. And little Claire was in the middle of the battlefield. She didn't know why her mommy and daddy acted the way they did. But she knew that it scared her, and this was no exception. She trembled and started to cry as her parents voices increased in volume._

_But out of the thickness of everything, someone pulled her arm and led her into another room. That person was none other than her brother, Andrew. Sitting against one of the walls, he gently rocked her while caressing her arms. "Shhh... I'm here Claire; everything will be okay." he whispered in her ear._

"_Why do mommy and daddy yell at each other a lot?" she whimpered._

"_I don't know, Clairey; I just don't know." he softly answered._

_She snuggled into his chest. Yelling still could be heard from where they were. Claire tensed up every time the voices became evidently louder which then caused her brother to hold her tighter, reminding her that he was still with her. As he gently brushed his hand on her head, Claire spoke up. "Andrew?"_

"_Yeah?" he replied._

"_What will happen when you leave?"_

"_Claire, what do you mean? We both have a lot more school left." he said, dumbfounded by her question. "I'm not going anytime soon."_

"_I mean when you totally complete school."_

"_I'm still not going anywhere, Clairey."_

"_You promise?" she turned around, facing him._

"_Promise!" he softly answered as he gently poked her nose. She giggled. "Besides, when we're both grown-ups, it'll be you and me against the world. We'll be unstoppable! The ultimate brother-sister team! No one would mess with us. And no one will mess with you, not while I'm around. I'll always be here for you, Claire. Always."_

That childhood memory flashed in her mind, much to her dismay. "Always... yeah right." she muttered to herself. Even though she was five and he was nine, she had thought back then that he would keep his promise. But that didn't work out too well. Picking up her hammer, she headed inside her house.

She flopped onto the nearest couch and sighed. No one during the past week came by her place... well, that wasn't exactly true. Ann did as well as other people whom she hadn't met yet, but their visits were usually short but very pleasant. But there was someone whom she had somewhat hoped would drop by. But he never did which didn't surprise her.

The past week not only brought people to her place but also kept her busy. Very busy. Weeding, chopping, smashing—all three of these kept her very busy so much so that she didn't have the time to wander into town. Not that she would anyways... at least not any time soon.

Realizing that her stomach desired food, Claire decided to go to the forests and mountains in search for food. She didn't dare returned to the Inn. Yeah, she could get her meals there, but that would possibly mean bumping into her brother. And she wasn't in the mood to have her meals spoiled. Though many times she had been tempted to go to the Inn to visit Ann specifically but ended not going at all for the previous reason.

But it had been a good thing to some extent: she had gotten to know Gotz, the local carpenter who lived in the forests. He had taught her the different variety of plants of what was good to eat and what wasn't. Though he had insisted that she have dinner at his place every night until she worked things out. He wasn't going to allow her to search in the mountains at night.

There were perks in searching in the forests and mountains. The one perk she enjoyed the most was the scenery. She knew the countryside was a beautiful place; but seeing it with her own eyes, half had not been known. The trees, the grass, the flowers—all of it seemed different to other people; but to Claire, they were a work of art, swaying according to the wind.

While skipping down a path leading to a lake, the blonde hummed random tunes in her head which were usually from her favorite TV shows. She was such a geek. Her humming stopped when she noticed a noise following her. She turned around and her heart melted.

"Aww, is da lil' doggy wost?" she said in her baby voice.

The dog cocked his head and barked.

"My, you seem like a smart doggy." she remarked. Kneeling, she searched for a collar on the dog but found none. "Looks like you don't have an owner. Tell you what: you come with me and I'll take good care of you, okay? ...who am I kidding, the dog won't-"

The dog wagged it's tail and barked enthusiastically to her proposal.

"Boy. You really are a smart dog. I'll name you Akira. It suits you too." she smiled, closing her eyes.

Akira licked her hanging hand in response.

She patted Akira's head. "Come on, Akira! Let's go to the lake!"

They both ran towards the lake.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that _you_ have to make the effort. You can't expect her to come waltzing right in wanting to patch things up. And what you told me further proves my point." Ann said, wiping a table down.

"But Ann!-"

"Don't even try to argue with me, Andrew, cause you know that I _never_ lose an argument." she emphasized, looking up at him, "How about helping me out instead of just standing there like someone kicked a puppy or something. It is your job after all."

"Oh—why don't you just go make some food for your beloved Cliff. I don't need to be reminded of my job." he commented coldly while a sharp pain reached his heart. Her fawning over another guy didn't sit so well with him. It wasn't like he liked her; it was just... he liked her... a lot.

Ann blushed at his comment when he mentioned Cliff but soon glared at him for his tone. Ignoring her glare, he walked over to another table to take the customer's order. It had been about four years since he inquired about the help sign in front of the Inn which then landed him the job. He remembered it quite well. Of course he remembered it quite well: that was the day when he first laid eyes on Ann: the day he fell head over heels for her.

Now wasn't the time for reminiscing. He had a job to do. But his thoughts wouldn't leave him alone which resulted in him thinking of Claire and what to do. Maybe Ann was right, but he still wasn't sure how to handle it. He just hoped that Claire would understand his point of view if and when he decided to explain it to her.

* * *

"Akira, this here is your new home." Claire motioned all around her farm, "So feel free to explore it. And don't worry: I'll have Gotz build you a doghouse." she smiled, "Now girl, Momma has to go to the Blacksmith and inquire about my worthless hammer which won't break all these stupid big rocks."

One would think that the dog was human the way it looked at Claire while she was talking. It seemed like Akira understood every word the blonde-haired farmer had said to her.

_That dog is _so_ from another planet._ she thought but quickly pushed it aside as she grabbed her hammer from her house. She really was into her sci-fi too much. _Then again, talking to a dog like it's a human being isn't exactly what I call normal. Talking to a dog—I really have gone insane._

Arriving at the front of the Blacksmith, Claire heard loud voices. This puzzled her since it was near 5 PM, a time she knew he wouldn't be there. And no, the _he_ wasn't her brother but rather a grumpy apprentice whom she didn't want to run into again. She shrugged it off and entered the Blacksmith.

"**What do you mean it's not good! Explain to me what the hell is wrong with it! Come on!**" shouted a gruff voice she recognized. Inwardly, she groaned.

"The answer is inside of _you_, boy! You have much to learn!"

Trying all so hard to refrain herself from whacking some sense into "the boy," Claire interrupted the argument. "Excuse me-"

"What the hell do _you_ want now!" he demanded as he turned to face Claire.

"Gray! How dare you talk to a customer like that!" the blacksmith rebuked him harshly. Turning his attention now to Claire, he softened his tone, "Welcome. You must be Claire everybody's been talking about. I'm Saibara. Nice to have you finally drop by!" he smiled, "Don't mind my incompetent grandson. He can't do anything right."

"No worries; if you hadn't scolded him, I probably would've tried to smack some sense into him." Saibara chuckled at her remark.

"I'm right _here_, you know!" Gray growled at the two of them.

"So you are." Claire sarcastically commented.

"What brings you here at this hour?" Saibara asked before Gray had the chance to respond to Claire's comment.

"Oh, uh, I know you are closed right now, but I was wondering what's wrong with this hammer." she handed him her hammer.

He examined it and returned it back to her. "Nothing is wrong with it."

"Then how come it won't brake those huge rocks in my fields?"

Gray snorted, but Claire ignored him. "To brake those rocks in your field," Saibara started to explain, "you need to get your hammer improved."

"And that's when you come in, right?"

"Exactly." he chuckled, "But in order for me to improve your hammer, I need a copper ore and, of course, a small fee."

"Copper ore?" Claire asked, puzzled.

"You can find copper in the mines near the hot springs when you break open some rocks there." Saibara explained.

_Just when I think this place can't get any stranger... or is the correct term interesting? _"Okay! Thanks! I guess I'll have to hold off of ridding myself those dumb rocks till I get some copper!" she joked, "At least I have enough space to plant a bunch of crops. Anyways, I have to go. Thanks for your time!"

"Alright, Claire. See you when you return!" Saibara chirped.

Claire turned around and headed towards the door. She then heard Gray mutter something she barely made out, but she got the gist of it: something like "don't let the door hit you on the way out" or close to it. Opening the door, Claire looked back at the grumpy apprentice. "You're lucky, Gray, that I don't conk you on the head with my hammer. And every fiber in my being wants to too." With that, she left with hammer on her shoulder.

Halfway to her farm, Claire heard someone running after her. Blowing her bangs from her face, she slowly turned around and to her dismay saw Gray. "What do you want from me now, Gray?" she demanded.

Gray stared at her and then pulled his hat down, covering his face. "Gramps wants me to apologize to you..." he muttered.

Claire blinked at him, not knowing what to think. She waited but soon couldn't handle the silence. "Well?"

"S-sorry for my behavior in the shop." Gray muttered under his breath. She didn't hear him well.

"What? I can't hear you. Can you repeat that?" she enjoyed watching him in his discomfort.

"I said sorry for my behavior back in the shop!" he raised his voice, "There, happy now?"

"Well... no, not really."

"What the hell do you mean by that!" he almost shouted.

"Well, you see, there's the whole incident that happened about a week ago..." she trailed off.

"That wasn't my fault!"

"Well, it certainly wasn't mine! And _I_ wasn't the one who started off rude!"

"Maybe if you had watched where _you_ were going-"

"That's not the point! The fact is you were rude, plain and simple." she interrupted him.

"You know, I came out here to apologize for earlier and this is what I get! Why do I even bother?"

"Cause your grandpa told you to! That's why! I just want a simple apology from you for what happened about a week ago. Is that too much to ask?"

"Fine then! I'm sorry for what happened about a week ago! Dammit Woman! You're so difficult!"

"And you're not?"

"I said your stupid apology. I don't have time for this." he started walking away.

"Well, then... good riddins'!" she shouted back at him.

_**Well, that ended well.**_

_Just... shut it! I really don't need to hear your remarks... or think them... or whatever!_

_**Yes you do! Cause you know you were harsh.**_

_No I wasn't! _

_**Answer this then: are you normally this harsh to people? Especially to people you barely know?**_

_Well, back in the city-_

_**But we aren't in the city! We are in a peaceful town located who knows where. Point is, people are nice here.**_

_Not him..._

_**Have you tried to get to know him? Hmm? You know I am right on this all.**_

_No you aren't!_

_**Then how come we are having this conversation? Hmm? He did try to apologize... in his own way... grant you, Saibara forced him to but the fact still remains that by his actions (before you stuck your foot in your mouth) he really did try. And **_**don't****_ try to deny it cause I know you._**

_I... maybe you are right... and maybe on... everything._

_**Actually, it's you who are right—inner you—but let's not dwell on technicalities at this time. Now what you should do is be the bigger man here... or woman in our case, and apologize to him.**_

_No way!_

_**Just when I thought progress was being made...**_

_Why should I?_

_**Cause it's the right thing to do! And dammit! You're going to do it!**_

_...eventually I guess, but not now!_

_**Sigh, at least it's better than not at all... what am I going to do with you?**_

"Hello Claire." greeted a bearded man, interrupting her inward debate. She had just arrived at his front door.

"Hey Gotz."

"Umm, Claire, I, uh, I hate to say this but I can't allow you coming here for dinner anymore. You have to work things out with your brother. You may not want to, but trust me: it's for the best. Believe me, I know how it feels when you don't make amends... with the ones you love."

Before the blonde-haired farmer could process what Gotz said to her, he then shut his front door. Claire stood there for awhile, not knowing what to do. But she couldn't stay there for long. She needed food, and the place which sold food was the Inn. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly headed towards the Inn.

The walk there was not a pleasant one. She wasn't enjoying the scenery like she previously did when she first arrived. The quaint town buildings, the trees nearby, the flowers planted—these didn't stimulate her awe and wonder of them. No. All that was going through her mind was the encounter she would have with her brother... and maybe a certain apprentice, mainly her brother though.

Heart pounding in her chest, she opened the doors to the Inn. She breathed in deep and walked over towards the bar, ready as she would be ever be. To her luck, she didn't see her brother anywhere.

"Well, look who the wind blew in." Ann placed her hands on her hips.

"Hi, Ann." Claire meekly said while sitting down.

"Where have you been! You come in here once and then decide not to come back! And for what? A ridiculous grudge!" Ann flailed her arms.

"Whoa, Ann, it's not like you haven't seen me; you did come over to my farm."

"That isn't my point! Don't do that again! Or I'll personally drag you here just so that you eat and socialize!"

Claire didn't have any words. She knew it had been stupid of her to avoid the Inn like the plague. But she had her reasons—good ones too... or so she kept telling herself. Sighing, she finally spoke up, "So I guess Andrew told you then..." she mumbled.

"Indeed he did."

Claire mouthed an _O_. Looking at the menu in front of her, she told her order to Ann. Ann gave her a blank look, expecting Claire to say more, then soon scurried off to make Claire's order.

Before Claire could even ponder over stuff in her life, her plate of food arrived in front of her. She caught a glimpse of the hand and immediately knew that it wasn't Ann who placed her food down. The owner of the hand then sat down on the seat next to her. She knew who was there; she just didn't want to acknowledge him. She began to eat while the owner of the hand just sat there. A long awkward silence befell them, allowing Claire to finish most of her food.

"Clairey?"

It had been so long since she heard that. She bit her bottom lip.

"Look, I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but... I am sorry... and I know you probably won't forgive me, and I don't blame you. I wouldn't forgive myself either... It's just... dammit, Claire, please say something at least!"

"Why?" She paused, "Why did you leave? You... you promised..."

"Claire, at least look at me while you talk... please." She slowly faced him, avoiding his eyes. "I... well, I left cause I had to. Mom and Dad... they didn't want me around after I graduated high school. They basically kicked me out. Believe me, Claire, I wanted to stay for you, to be with you, to just be... there for you—more than anything—but they just didn't want me around you. They sort of... threatened... and if they saw me around or heard that I was... I didn't know what else to do! I just had to; maybe that makes me a coward... I don't know. But I wanted to take you with me—I really did, Claire, I really did. But I wasn't able to and even if I was, they wouldn't have allowed me."

"You could've at least been close by!" she slammed her fist on the counter staring directly in his eyes, "You could've at least told me or stayed in contact or even _say good-bye_! But _you_ did _none_ of these! You know how I felt when I returned to the house and found nothing of you there! To find all your belongings gone! To find you not there! That day was one of _the_ hardest days of my life! The majority of high school was _the_ hardest years of my life! I..." A stray tear began to fall down her face.

"Claire, I... I know I should've, but... I can't change the last eight years. If I could—if I had a blue box I would!" Claire gave a faint smile at the mention of a blue box. "I-I can't even begin to imagine what you been though."

"You dam right you don't know! You have any ideas how many broken relationships I've been though! Do you..." She finally broke down in tears.

He did what he always had done: he grabbed her by the arm and led her into another room—this room though being Ann's. "I'm borrowing your room, Ann" he stated.

Before Ann could protest, he went into her room and closed her door. Ann huffed but at the same time was concerned for Claire.

Sitting against the wall, he hugged her. He gently caressed her arms and whispered to her that he would never ever—as long as he lived—would never leave her again, regardless of any future events. "Undomesticated equines could not remove me."

She tried to stifle a chuckle in the midst of her tears but was unsuccessful. One thing that was sure, she certainly had missed those references. She curled up against her brother's chest and sighed. "Wild horses, Andrew, wild horses." she choked while calming down a bit.

They stayed like that for awhile till Andrew heard a creek in the door. "Ann, I know that's you." he softly remarked.

Ann slowly opened the door, beholding the sight before her. _Aww!_ she thought. Searching through her overalls' pocket, she pulled her camera out and took a picture of the brother and sister image before her. "Now I have proof." she declared.

"Proof of what exactly?" he inquired.

"Proof that you aren't such a tough guy like you try to be: that you have a soft spot."

"Ann, if you're thinking of blackmailing me with it, that's not one of your better pictures. And besides, it wouldn't work."

"It's not for blackmailing though. Geez, I can't take a simple picture?" Ann complained.

"Not when your name is Ann."

Ann rolled her eyes. "Well, I can assure you that it's just a plain ol' pic!" Pausing for a bit, she continued, "You guys made up?"

"I don't know, but I think it may be a start."

"Why don't you take her to the Goddess Spring Festival? It's coming up after all."

"And what about you?"

Ann blushed. "Well, it wasn't like we were together _together_ per say... we just went together cause we were both headed the same ways, being in the same building and all... and this year there's a new guy..."she trailed off.

"That's if you can get Cliff to talk to you..." he remarked, feeling a bit hurt. But what Ann said was true.

Ann blushed again. "Well, I sort of have a plan for that... anyways, it'll be a good if you take Claire. It might help patch things up between the two of you."

"I don't know if it will; and I don't know if Claire would want to go anyways."

"Well, why don't we ask her! Cl-"

"Shh! Ann! No need to be loud. I don't know if she's asleep, but if she is, I don't want you waking her up."

"Alright, alright." she lowered her voice, "But I'm expecting you to bring her. It'll do both of you good. Now when are you planning on getting out of my room?"

"You never change, do you Ann."

Slowly getting up and trying not to disturb Claire, Andrew lightly picked Claire up holding her bridal style. He walked out of Ann's room and headed out of the Inn.

Arriving at her farm, he headed inside of her house. He quickly found the bedroom and gently laid her on her bed, stroking her head. Turning around to leave, he then felt a small tug on him. "Please don't go, Andrew..." she pleaded, "Please... stay."

A bit baffled at what she had said, he nodded. He climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her as if he was protecting her from any danger which may come. "Thank you." she mumbled.

Both of them started to drift to sleep. "This doesn't mean I forgive you though, Andrew... not entirely. But... I will give you a chance. You can take me to the Spring Festival or whatever it's called. I... I would like that..." she mumbled, waking him up a bit. A soft smile appeared on his face.

Things had not been perfect between him and her; but he had hope: hope that one day it would be: that one day they will indeed be the ultimate brother-sister team.

* * *

**Don't you love brotherly love? :')**

**Okay, moving on: Gray: another encounter with him, eh? I have it where they don't exactly get along to well since I didn't exactly want to rush anything... yeah. And I hope the argument was at least decent.. or real.. or whatever the word I'm looking for.**

**And the mention of a blue box? A lot of you are probably going o_O am I right on that?  
Let's just say, it's one of my obsessions! ^_^  
It'll be explained later... I think lol  
Wonder if anybody got that reference and the other one I place in...  
^let me know if you did! ^_^**

**Thanks for reading this chapter! :D  
I really would like to hear from you people out there...  
Anyways, more is coming!  
(I'm long winded, am I? LOL)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Another chappy here! :D**

**Ooo! Last night before I went to bed, a whole whack of really good ideas/situations and such came rushing to my head. So needless to say, I'm quite excited! ^_^ Though those ideas are further on like for summer. :)  
You'll have to wait and see for those :P**  
**Okay, this chapter is... eventful? Well, I hope you enjoy it at least! :)  
**

* * *

"Alright, alright, alright! I'm coming! No need to pound on my door!" Claire shouted at the person practically banging her door down.

Opening her front door, she found none other than Ann. "Oh, it's you Ann." Yawning she continued, "What'd you want?"

"Claire! You know why I'm here!" Ann folded her arms while stepping into Claire's house.

"I do n—wait! It's the festival, right?"

"No, I'm just here to help you around." Ann sarcastically remarked, "Duh! Of course it's the festival! Don't you remember? We made plans? You know, do each other's hair and make-up? I take it that this sort of thing happens to you from time to time—you know forgetting."

"Not always!" Claire protested, "It's just I've been busy clearing my field... more like fighting with it. Honestly, those weeds just don't go away! They keep coming back like they're from another dimension or something..."

Ann snickered, causing Claire to glare at her. "Well let's just get ready for the festival before your brother and Cliff gets here." Ann blushed when she mentioned Cliff.

"Fine. But I am not putting any make-up on—can't stand the stuff."

"That's alright with me: I don't wear much myself anyways."

Claire dragged herself into her bathroom while Ann laid everything out. Done brushing her teeth and bathing, Claire came back out and saw that Ann already had changed into her dress. Ann certainly looked different with a dress on as suppose to her everyday outfit of denim overalls and a yellow t-shirt. Her dress was pink and simple and had a rope as a belt. Claire then eyed the couch and there found a lot of flowers. _Those must be the flowers to 'decorate' so to say. Saying that makes me feel like a Christmas tree..._

Opening the second bedroom, Claire walked inside and grabbed the dress she was suppose to wear. She had decided that she would use the second bedroom as her closet since there wasn't any to begin with. Holding the dress up, she thought back on how she had obtained it.

"_Does Akira want some food? Does she? Does she?" Claire said excitedly._

_Akira cocked her head and barked._

"_I'll take that as a yes then." Claire stated the obvious. _

_Opening the kitchen cupboards, she pulled out a can of dog food. She then opened it and poured it in Akira's dog food dish. Just as she placed the food dish down, a knock came from her door. "I wonder who that could be." she mumbled._

_When she opened her door, she found Gotz standing there holding a rectangular box. "Why hello Gotz! Please, come in."_

"_That's quite alright, Claire, but I won't be long." he politely declined her offer, "I have something here for you. You'll need it for the upcoming festival." He handed her the rectangular box. She opened the box and found a beautiful simple pink dress. "That dress there was my wife's... It originally was for my daughter but... I just thought you should have it." _

"_Oh! Wow... this is beautiful! But Gotz, I can't take this. It wouldn't be right."_

"_Claire, take it. I want you to have it. You need this more than I do..."_

"_But-"_

"_Claire, I insist on it."_

"_Then... I don't know what to say. Thank you, Gotz!" she thanked him, dumbfounded. _

"_Your welcome, Claire."_

"_I'll be sure to take good care of it!"_

_He smiled at her and slowly left her farm, headed for the forest._

After she slipped into her dress, she exited the room. "Well, then!" The ginger declared, "Let's get to work on our hair!"

Ann decided that Claire would go first. The blonde-haired farmer reluctantly handed over her brush to Ann while muttering under her breath. Claire really wasn't used to the idea of someone brushing or doing her hair for her, especially since she was somewhat overprotected of her long silky blonde hair. _I don't even know why I agreed to have Ann over... oh yeeaah! Ann invited herself over... or more like stated that she was coming no matter how much I protested. She really must be a nervous wreck. After all, Cliff mysteriously asked her... which is strange in itself—he barely talks to anyone! I'll have to get the whole story from Ann one day._

"Ow!" Claire cried.

"S-Sorry. It's just you have some tangles."

"Start from the bottom, Ann. Starting at the top will only make the tangles worse." Claire instructed.

Ann obeyed. Before the blonde knew it, Ann was done with her hair... and not just with the brushing. "Finished!" the ginger chirped.

Looking into a mirror located in her living room, Claire gaped her mouth open. Her hair was done up in a braided bun with a couple strands of hair hanging down near her face: simple yet beautiful. "I-I love it, Ann!"

"Glad you do! Now as for my hair-"

"I must confess that I'm not good with hair... that's why you only really see me with my hair down or up in a pony tail."

"That's perfectly fine, Claire. Do you know how to braid? Cause I can teach you."

"And what about your hair-do?"

"Don't worry about it. I can always do my regular braided ponytail."

"But that'll kind of defeat the purpose of doing each other's hair'"

"Claire, I only said that so that I could get my hands on your hair—and your hair is very nice just to let you know."

"Oh Ann, typical Ann... thanks by the way."

"Don't mention it." she brushed it off, "Now this is how you do a braid."

Claire watched closely to what exactly Ann was doing. After Ann had finished, they both looked into the mirror and giggled. Why they giggled—no one knew. Ann then placed flowers in her own hair while Claire placed flowers in hers. After that, they attached the flower garlands onto their dresses. All they needed now was flower bracelets. As soon as they finished, a knock came at the door. "It must be the boys." Claire stated the obvious.

Opening the door, she found her brother and Cliff. "Hey, Clairey!" Andrew chirped.

"You do know I'm not five anymore." Claire remarked, crossing her arms.

"You're my lil' sis! What do you expect? You'll always be my little sis, and no amount of protesting will change that." he smiled.

Claire rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling on the inside. "Oh, by the way, Claire, you look stunning! You both do!" he commented, "Don't you think so, Cliff?"

"Y-y-yes, they d-do." he stuttered, confused by the sudden introduction to the conversation.

"If we're going to get there on time we better go like now!" Ann barged into the conversation.

Exiting the farm, Ann and Cliff walked in front, both blushing furiously—more Ann though, while Claire and Andrew walked behind them. Claire glanced over at her brother and followed his almost-hidden annoyed look which led to Ann and Cliff. Right then and there, Claire knew what was going on in her brother's head... or she had some sort of an idea. She didn't know exactly; all she knew for certain was that her brother wasn't happy about Cliff and Ann being together.

Silence accompanied the trip to Rose Square. When they arrived, the pairs splitted up: Cliff and Ann went to the buffet table since Ann was hungry like usual while Claire and Andrew hanged out with the brother-sister duo, Rick and Popuri.

"Hey Claire! Hey Andrew!" Rick greeted them. Popuri nodded.

"Hey Rick! Hey Popuri!" Andrew said. Claire nodded. "So what's up? How are the chickens?"

"They are doing quite well, though I think Omelet maybe coming down with something..."

"Well if anybody here knows about chickens is you, Rick. She'll be fine."

"Thanks, Andrew." Rick gave a small smile.

The four of them talked some more till the conversation headed towards protecting sisters. "I don't know why Popuri likes Kai; he's..."

"The most annoying? Self-centered? A womanizer?" Andrew tried finishing Rick's description of Kai.

"That and much more. He's dangerous!"

"He is not Rick!" Popuri protested, "He's nice and kind and thoughtful and handsome and... dreamy..." Popuri sighed.

"Who's Kai?" Claire inquired.

"Someone who you're going to stay away from in the summers, as long as I'm around." Andrew stated.

"If I want to hang out with him I can, you know! I can make my own dam decisions!"

"But you don't know what's he like." Rick pointed out.

"Both of you boys don't know what's he like!" Popuri almost shouted, "Come on, Claire, let's go somewhere else." The pink-haired girl grabbed Claire by the hand and dragged her towards Mary and Gray, much to Claire's dismay. Claire would rather argue with her brother than have another encounter with the grumpy blacksmith apprentice.

"Hi Mary! Hi Gray!" Popuri chirped.

Gray grunted.

"Oh!" Mary startled, "Hi, Popuri, and hi... Claire? Right?"

"Yeah... Hi." Claire mumbled. Her eyes started wandering, looking for a _savior_ to save her from this predicament. Her eyes soon locked on to Ann's, pleading for her to help. But what did the ginger do? She waved and winked at Claire. The blonde gave her a menacing glare. _She knows I try to avoid all encounters with... Gray... at all costs!_ _Typical Ann..._

_**Now your chance to apologize to him!**_

_I'm ignoring you..._

_**Ah! But saying that you are proves that you really aren't.**_

_Nobody likes a wise-_

"Gray, how come you so grumpy looking?" Popuri asked, interrupting Claire's thoughts.

"None of your business..." he muttered, glancing over at Claire.

Ignoring the conversation, Claire looked around again in the hopes of finding someone else to help her. Of course, Ann was out of the question: she was too busy either blushing or eating... that and she already refused to in her own Ann kind of way. She wasn't going back to brother... at least not any time soon, or else she would receive a lecture of whom she could or couldn't hang out with in the summers. She then saw Karen arguing with her father at the buffet table. _It's probably about wine. _she chuckled to herself. Karen sure loved her wine and drank it whenever she got the chance to, especially on festival days. Wondering where Elli and Trent went, she looked around but then soon saw them sitting on a bench together. For a split second, she swore that she saw Trent gazing on her. Gazing? _Just a figment of your imagination, Claire. That's all. _she assured herself.

"Claire?"

Claire's focus snapped back to the people whom she was with. "Yeah, Popuri?"

"Don't you agree?" Gray's eyes were fixed on her while Mary fidgeted.

"Ehhhh, on what?" she dumbly asked, not knowing what she was just asked.

"Don't you think Gray's too grumpy all the time?" Popuri repeated.

"I, uh, I can't really, uh, answer that." she tried looking for the right words, "But I, umm, will say this: life ain't all rainbows and puppies; everyone's grumpy from time to time. Whether or not he's grumpy all the time—I can't answer that; I'm not him neither am I a mind reader. But I know if I got yelled at everyday, I would be too. And I'm speaking from experience here... well, not the yelling, but I was grumpy at times, and I hated my job..." she trailed off before she continued, "Excuse me, but I'm going to the buffet table now." She walked away leaving Gray dumbfounded, and Mary and Popuri a bit confused.

_I can't believe I just said all that! ...why did I even? I wasn't trying to be nice to Gray or anything. Gah! I hate it when my conscience wins!_

_**You rang?**_

_No, but I hate it when you take over..._

_**And what makes you think I did?**_

_Oh I _know_ you had at least a say!_

Claire looked at the array of delicious food. _There's so much food here._ It had everything—from soups to salads to main dishes to desserts, especially the desserts. There were no shortage of desserts: cupcakes, cookies, cakes—and many, many more. _How can this town provide this much food here? ...not like I'm complaining. It's just... whoa! This cake is good! _she thought as she took a bite.

Dwelling around the buffet table, Claire looked around not knowing what else to do. She didn't mind being by herself; she didn't really have much to say to anyone anyways other than a hello to those that passed by. But soon she wasn't alone. She glanced to her right and saw none other than her brother. He seemed to materialize out of nowhere. She was expecting him to bring up the fact that he didn't want her to hang out with Kai in the summer, but he didn't. He just stood there, staring straight ahead.

"Andrew?" Claire interrupted the silence between them. She had sensed something.

"Hmm?" he said, still staring ahead.

There was a slight pause before Claire continued, "You like Ann, don't you." she remarked, not looking at him.

"W-What? Me like Ann? Haha..." he laughed nervously, thankful that nobody was around them to hear their conversation, _especially_ Manna; he didn't want her ears to get wind of the conversation that he was having with his sister, "Don't be ridiculous, sis! I can easily choose any of the five available girls here... it doesn't have to be Ann. Besides, Ann isn't my type." he lied.

"Look me straight in the eye and tell me that again." Claire commanded, looking straight at him.

Turning his head to meet Claire's blue eyes, he opened his mouth to repeat what he had said, but he quickly turned away. "I can't..." he mumbled.

"So, you do." He nodded. "How long have you been here?" she asked after a slight pause.

"About four years. Why?"

"And in all that time you never thought of telling Ann?" He went silent which indicated to her that he never did. "You had all that time—all that time to make a move, but you ended up chickening out? To tell you the truth, I'm not surprised... but that doesn't mean I don't feel for you, Andrew... cause... cause I do in a way; I'm not completely heartless..." She paused, "Are you going to tell her?"

"I wasn't planning to now that-"

"Just because she went to this festival with Cliff doesn't mean that they are a couple, you know. And don't forget, she didn't go with him completely alone: you and I were there too."

"Claire, why do you even care?" he asked.

"Cause I'm your sister!"

"Even though-"

"Yes, even though I'm still quite mad at you—but... I'm trying... it's not easy, but I'm trying." She paused a bit, biting her lip, then continued, "Besides, I like Ann: she's a good friend. And... I also think that the two of you would make a cute couple." she gave a small smile.

Andrew blushed. "Then what do you think I should do, oh wise one?" he inquired. She snickered.

"Don't give up; you know Ann a lot longer than Cliff does. Cliff, well, for what I've heard he only arrived recently—I think it was last winter... If you want I could always-"

"_No_, sis!" he almost shouted, "I don't want you to tell her or interfere! It's not like I wouldn't appreciate it; it's just... I would prefer her to come around on her own accord, with no influence." he lowered his voice.

"Fine. But that doesn't mean I can't talk about you when I have conversations with her—like facts for instance."

"Nothing embarrassing though." he reminded her.

"The more embarrassing the better!" she teased.

Andrew rolled his eyes.

There was a long silence before she broke it again, "What are we suppose to do anyways?" she asked, "I could be doing some farm work instead of mingling or just standing here ..."

"We stand around and mingle until the mayor announces that we can dance. Then at some point, all the girls in the town do a special dance-"

"What? A special dance? _Nobody_ told me this! How am I suppose to do it when _I_ don't even know it?"

"Don't worry, sis. I figured that no one would remember to show you it; so I spoke to the mayor before the festival even started, and he said that it was fine. Though he said that he expects you to next year."

As soon as Claire breathed a sigh of relief, the mayor announced that the dancing could begin. She watched as couples, young and old, began pairing up. Listening to the music, she wished so badly that it was more... fiddlely... if that was even a word. Maybe country or square dance type were better terms. She didn't know. She also didn't know why she was wishing for it either; maybe cause good memories were associated with it. Yeah, it had to be that.

As if someone read her thoughts, Claire soon heard what she wished for. There was only one person who knew what she liked—her brother of course. She looked up at him and gave him a can-we? look. He returned it with a that's-why-it's-playing look. He grabbed her hand and led her to where the others were dancing. "Something simple; not like what we used to do." she requested with a hint of demand.

"Don't worry: I don't want to draw attention either... well, not too too much." he smiled.

And so they danced; danced like they did before only dialed down. Claire didn't know how much she missed it until now. Memories flooded back to her of her brother, but good ones. The times where they would do that sort of thing in front of a crowd or just simply for fun. The times that they did compete were not many though, but that didn't matter to Claire. As long as she was with her brother, that all what mattered back then... It was all what mattered as they were dancing in Rose Square.

The music was no where near on finishing when her dance with her brother came to an end. It wasn't him that broke it off, of course not; it was his idea after all. But someone had interrupted them, and that someone was... Ann.

"Do you mind if I steal your brother from you?" Claire was hesitant a bit; she didn't really wanted to stop, but at the same time she did cause that would mean her brother would get some time with Ann. The ginger saw the slight hesitation from Claire. "Don't worry about Cliff. He's a bit tired which I don't buy: how the hell can one person be tired from one dance? But we were sort of tripping over each other's feet. Haha!" she laughed.

"Alright." Claire finally agreed.

"Sis, you don't have-"

"Yes I do, Andrew." she gave him a thank-you-but-this-is-for-you look. He smiled.

Claire broke away from the two and headed towards the buffet table. She looked over the foods, deciding what she should take. As she selected the foods she wanted, she almost froze when she caught a glimpse of a figure across the table wearing a tanned color outfit. She glanced upward for about a second which baffled her and noticed the blacksmith apprentice staring at her. Or was it glaring. Or was it... gazing? _Gazing? No, he can't be—impossible! Most likely glaring... yeah, that has to be it. Though what if gazing? What if it's that—what am I thinking! First I imagine that Trent did, now Gray? I don't even know Trent that much, and Gray? I don't even like him!_

_**You only think you don't; but I know otherwise.**_

_What are you talking about? I. Don't. Like. Him. End of discussion! Yeah, he's good looking and-_

_**See?**_

_Good looks doesn't mean I like the guy. Grant you, good looks helps... but my point is that it's what's inside—that's what counts. I guess you could say it's the personality. And he's a grouch all the time!_

_**Yet you said so yourself that you don't blame him for being that way. He could be quite a pleasant guy underneath the rough exterior, you know; maybe he just has a short temper.**_

_...I hate it when you _could_—and I stress the word _**could**_ be right..._

_**Hehe. I try!**_

_Shut up..._

After selecting her food and having an inward conversation with herself, she quickly headed towards a bench. It didn't matter what bench to her as long as she was away from the buffet table. Though she thought that someone like maybe a certain blacksmith apprentice was watching her from time to time, but she pushed that thought aside.

She sat on a bench for quite a while till the music got slower, perfect for a romantic dance. She watched as couples started to dance slowly, each gazing into each other's eyes. And that's when she noticed her brother slowly heading towards her. Her heart started to sink at the sight. It wasn't because she didn't want him sitting next to her—she didn't really care whether he did or didn't—but it was the fact that he wasn't the one who was dancing with Ann. And she felt for him.

He sat there beside her, both in silence. If there was a conversation, it was an understood one.

When the music ended, the mayor stood on a platform he had placed and announced that it was time for the girls to do their dance. Everyone, except for the five girls, moved to places where each could watch. Claire and Andrew decided not to move since they had a good view from where they were. Why move from a good place?

While watching the performance, the blonde sighed. The performance wasn't really a long one, but it seemed like one to her. Maybe it was because she was tired; she didn't know. All she knew was going home was a desirable thing.

Everyone clapped when the five girls finished. "Like usual, the girls did an amazing job. Bravo!" the mayor announced, "Everyone may now leave. This festival is now over. Until next year, girls." he bowed and left the square.

Claire glanced over at her brother and found him to be in deep thought. Not wanting to disturb him, she decided to do an adventurous thing: she was going to mingle. She walked over to the crowd and talked with anyone who would listen, whether young or old. But she made sure that she wasn't near Gray and Mary—she didn't want another encounter with _him_: she already had too many for one day.

The last one whom she talked with was Ann. "Hey, Claire! Did you enjoy the festival?" Ann asked.

"Yeah, it was... eventful. It certainly wasn't anything back in the city." Claire replied.

"Glad you enjoyed it! I knew you would!" Ann chirped, "What's with your brother? He has been acting strange today."

_Yeah, cause he really likes you, duh! _she thought to herself. "Umm, I don't really know." she lied, "Maybe he's tired or simply didn't know how I would respond to all of this."

"Yeah... Well, me and Cliff are going now." she blushed, "See ya later, Claire!" she waved at Claire as she and Cliff were leaving the square.

"Bye Ann! Bye Cliff!" Claire waved back.

Looking around the square, Claire noticed that the only two people left were herself and her brother. She sighed as she reviewed the events in her head. _Looks like Mineral Town is chalk full of drama—my brother liking Ann, but Ann likes Cliff. Cliff... well I haven't a clue who he likes, probably Ann. Then there's Rick and Popuri's disagreement on Kai. Who is that guy anyways? He seems like he comes here only in the summers; and he's someone whom my brother doesn't want me to be around with. Well, I'll make my decision when I meet him._

Her thoughts abruptly stopped when her brother out of nowhere embraced her. This utterly confused her not to mention startled her, but she quickly realized that there was a reason. The reason: Ann. She didn't know what to do. So she did the only logical thing that came to her head: she hugged him back, trying the best she could to comfort him or at least cheer him up.

He then slowly released himself from hugging her. "Sis, I don't know why I'm acting the way I am. I've known Ann for four years, and I've never felt, what I'm feeling now, before. I can't explain it. Maybe it's because of Cliff... though I'm quite sure that's definitely a factor. Or maybe it's because I now have someone here to talk to concerning Ann, even if all you do is just listen."

Claire at that moment had no words. She didn't know what to say. "Don't you have guy roommates whom you can talk to? ...I don't want to sound like I don't want to talk to you cause that's not what I'm saying at all.." she finally said.

"Claire, Cliff is one of my roommates." he pointed out.

"Oops, I sort of forgot, sorry." she laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

That's when it hit her: she knew exactly what would cheer him up. "Andrew, bear with me for one minute."

She then slowly started dancing with her feet a pattern that Andrew had shown her years ago. But she purposely messed up the same steps she had messed up when she first was learning it. "Claire, haven't I taught you anything?" he chuckled, "This is how you do it." He then showed her the proper way of doing it.

They both then went back and forth, doing foot dances; some of them they even made up. By the time they were finished, they were laughing their heads off. "Thanks, sis. I really appreciate the help even though I don't deserve it."

"Andrew, don't worry about it, okay? I have a feeling that Ann will come around."

"Not by your interference, I hope."

"Trust me, Andrew. I won't interfere. But if nothing happens in like ten years, I'm sorry I will." she sternly remarked, trying to sound serious; she failed though.

"I'm sure something would've happened by then." he chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sure too." she paused. "Hey, why don't you crash at my place for tonight? I do have an extra bedroom for you to use, though some of my clothes will have to be moved. I don't think that you want to spend this night in the same room as your rival..."

"Really? You would do that? ...Thanks, sis."

They both headed out of Rose Square, hands interlocked, towards her farm, unknown to them that the coatless blacksmith apprentice had been watching them since he had realized that he left his coat at the square.

* * *

**Ooo! LOL**

**And wow! Right? Those words she said concerning Gray...**

**Oh, and since I don't know any dances or anything—I hope the description (or lack of one lol) wasn't too too bad. And yeah, they competed way way back; don't ask me why I threw that in cause I don't really know myself lol! It just sort of... came—hey, I warned you on my profile that I had a pretty messed up head! :P**

**Well, anyways, I'll shut up now. I hope you enjoyed this. Feedback is most welcome! :)  
Until the next! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, I want to give you people out there a heads up!: this chapter will have a lot of stuff that I enjoy immensely. And if you never heard of it—then WHERE HA—hehe sorry. :P  
No but seriously, there is this one point where I haven't a clue if half of you who read this (that's if people are reading this...) will even understand the full... humor of it I guess you can say.**

**But no matter what, I hope you people enjoy this, regardless! :)**

* * *

Claire stretched her arms as she heard the familiar alarm go off. It had been a few days since the Spring Festival.. or whatever it was called: she always forgot the name of it.

Dragging herself out of her bed, she headed towards her kitchen for breakfast. She didn't have to go to the Inn anymore for her meals since she had Zack go to the mainland quite recently. She figured that it would be awhile before she could harvest her crops.

After she had eaten and given Akira her food, she dragged herself into her bathroom to brush her teeth and shower. _I'm so glad I now have a curtain for a shower now—no more baths! ...though I still haven't gotten around to figuring out a way to get more channels on my television... maybe I'll just stream my favorite TV shows—I certainly have the ban width for it. Oooh! I'm suppose to get my DVD player sometime this week! I can't wait! Reruns here I come! ...when I have finished my work for the day though..._

She had just walked out of her bathroom when she noticed Akira scratching on the front door, wanting out. Claire smiled to herself and opened the front door to let Akira outside. After she closed the front door, she walked into her bedroom to get dressed. She wore what she always wore for farm work: the pair of overalls she had found and whatever collared shirt she desired. Today's collared shirt was a light blue flannel one. She then brushed her hair and tied it up in a ponytail so that it wouldn't be in her way while working in her field. All ready for farm work, she strutted out of her house. She giggled once she arrived at her field.

Looking at her field, she groaned at the abundance of weeds. _And I just weeded yesterday... where do those stupid weeds come from? I'm _so_ convinced parallel worlds exist! It's evident in my field! Those weeds have to be coming from somewhere! ...hehe, I'm into my sci-fi shows too much. _

She then turned her attention to the big stumps and rocks she still hadn't gotten rid of. _Stupid tools... I still have to go to the mines and find some copper... copper—how in the world does this island have a copper mine? I'm surprised that a big company hasn't jumped at the opportunity... not that I want them to—I like it quiet. Next thing you know I'll be hearing that this island has diamonds, emeralds and rubies, haha. It would be cool though... and very weird, but a good weird—sci-fi weird. Okay, I'll have to get to work now before I waste the whole day daydreaming about this island and it's possible weirdness, even though to some extent it is already. _She began to work on her field, pulling out the "regenerating" weeds.

She weeded for a while, taking breaks with her dog now and then. It was a hour before noon when she soon made a discovery, one that was staring at her since she had planted her crops. _What the..? _she thought while staring at her turnips, "Nooo way! That's impossible!" she almost shouted, "It's been what? Twelve days since I planted these turnips? How.. how can they be ripe already? ...but it would explain how Aja Winery makes so much wine." she contemplated out loud.

She even noticed that even the potatoes and cucumbers were growing faster than they normally would. She couldn't understand why she didn't notice this before. Then again, she had fought with the weeds in her field all this time—so maybe that was why. Pulling the ripe turnips, she continued, "I _so_ have to take samples of the soil! Whatever is in the soil certainly will explain why... or it could be the seeds themselves... but is it really-" she fell backwards as a turnip released its grip on the soil, "worth it? Like does it matter? Probably not... I mean the people here are probably used to it or think that it's normal—I don't want to be the freak in the town who says that it isn't normal..."

Her mind wandered to what she had been told when she had bought the seeds.

"_Buying seeds?"_

"_I'm not in the mood to talk right now, Andrew" Claire muttered,"Stupid regenerating weeds..."_

"_I'm leaving the Supermarket anyways. But I want you to give you a heads up: growing crops in Mineral Town is very... unusual-"_

"_Growing crops is just growing crops—nothing unusual about it."_

"_You'll see what I mean, Clairey, you'll see."_

She thought he had been joking around, but here in front of her was the evidence.

When she finished harvesting her turnips and watering her other crops, she gathered as much of the harvested turnips as she could and headed towards her shipping bin. She never used her shipping bin till now; she simply never had the time to gather stuff to sell since she was always working on her farm, playing with her dog, or visiting around town. She opened the shipping bin only to discover something which completely dumbfounded her. Her heart raced excitedly; her knees began to wobble as if she would collapse at any moment. "N-no w-way! I can't believe it!-"

* * *

**IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!**

"That sounded like Claire," Ann noted, startled a bit, "all the way from her farm?"

"I bet you five bucks she'll be here in less than a minute." Andrew smiled, knowing exactly why he heard his sister's shouting. She really had yelled that loud.

"You're on!" she shook his hand. _That's the easiest fiv-_

"**Andrew, Andrew, Andrew! Where are you?**" she panted as she entered the Inn. Her eyes quickly located him. Running towards him, she continued, "I-It's... D-Doctor... blue-box... r-real..." she managed to say, bending over trying to catch her breath.

"Take a deep breath, sis. What is it?" he said, knowing full well what she wanted to tell him.

Taking a deep breath, "It's-bigger-on-the-inside!" she babbled, "The-shipping-bin-is-bigger-on-the-inside! I-just-I-just-I-just-can't-I-just-can't-believe-it!"

"Whoa, sis, slow down!"

"But don't you see, Andrew? Don't you remember?"

"Of course I do! The Doctor and his TARDIS—funny how some things in sci-fi turns into reality."

"I know, right? Here! Right in Mineral Town!"

"Doctor who?" Ann interrupted the conversation.

Both Claire and Andrew looked at each other and started laughing uncontrollably. Ann huffed and crossed her arms, indicating to the two of them that she wasn't happy. She didn't know why they were laughing so hard. All she did was asked a simple question, expecting a simple answer. She never expected laughter.

No matter how much Ann glared at them, they still laughed. Everyone around them, by now, stared at the commotion. Even Andrew's two roommates came down to see what the laughing was all about. "What the hell is going on?" a gruff voice grumbled.

"That's what I want to know too, Gray. But these two hyenas won't stop laughing!" Ann stated, "And all I asked was 'Doctor who?' and as soon as I said that, this happened." she motioned at the laughing brother-sister duo.

"Stop it. I can't breeeath!" Claire exhaled, collapsing onto the floor from laughing too hard.

"What is so dam funny about a question?" Gray demanded.

Andrew regained a bit of his composure. "The question is actually a name of a show that Claire and I watched when we were younger. It's been awhile since I heard a person say that as a question. I guess I couldn't help myself, haha. As for Claire, well that never gets old for her. Though to those who never heard of it, it's not funny; but to the fans, it is. And as you can see by Claire on the floor, she's a huge fan of it."

"That's it? All this noise cause of a stupid TV show?"

_Oh no he didn't! _Claire thought. "Oy! Watch it, blacksmith! Don't dis the show!" she suddenly regained her composure, ready to defend her precious show.

"Whatever." he muttered as he walked back up the stairs, Cliff following close by.

"Some people don't get it." Andrew chuckled.

"Well I'm one of them!" Ann snapped.

"Relax, Ann." Claire interceded, "You're not the first. This has happened many times." pausing, she then continued, "Anyways, I should get going. It's sometime after one, and I really need to eat. See you two later!" she started heading out of the Inn.

"Sis! Before you do, check out the Supermarket. You know that rucksack for sale?" he called out to her.

"It's-?"

"Yup it is!"

"This town keeps getting better! I'm _so_ buying it! It'll be perfect for carrying my tools around and gathering items!" With that, Andrew saw her leave the Inn.

"You owe me five bucks" he turned his attention to Ann, who was wiping down a table.

The ginger muttered something incoherently before reluctantly giving Andrew the five dollars. Andrew only grinned while she rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Keep the change, Jeff!" Claire chirped.

Before Jeff had a chance to respond, Claire dashed out of the Supermarket and headed for her farm. She was so excited; she couldn't believe that another dimension existed. _Forget the parallel world theory. Those dreaded weeds come from another dimension! It all makes sense now! ...well not really. _

One thing she couldn't comprehend was how? How did something like her new rucksack and her shipping bin (make that bins) even exist in a small out-of-reach town such as Mineral Town? And why? Why Mineral Town? Why hadn't no one on the mainland noticed? There were too many unanswered questions running in her head, but she really didn't care if she ever found any answers. She was just thrilled at her find. And only she knew the significance of it all... and her brother; everyone else thought that it was a normal or so she concluded from the stares she had gotten at the Inn..

Claire entered her house and pulled out all her tools out of her tool chest. She wanted to know if all her tools could fit inside her new rucksack. Much to her amazement, all of her tools did. She lifted up her tool-filled rucksack and was surprised that her rucksack didn't really weigh much. _Relative dimension. _she thought to herself. Giddy from her excitement, she walked towards her kitchen so that she could fix herself some lunch. She ate and then spent the rest of the day with her dog, exploring the wilderness beyond her farm.

* * *

A few days passed and...

"Yus! I finally received my DVD player! Happy early Birthday to me! Reruns, here I come!" She then groaned, "But not until I'm done my farm work..."

She figured she would at least hook up her new DVD to her television. _I still need to get surround stereos. _she thought to herself. Zack had came by with a special delivery earlier. When she had seen what he had been carrying, she immediately knew. And now, she stood there in front of her television, admiring the job she had completed. _Now's not the time to be gazing. Time to do my chores, then my reward! _She walked out of her house, ready for anything her field would throw at her.

She first began weeding, like usual. Weeds were always appearing on her field; no matter how much weeding she would accomplish in a day, more appeared the next. As for the rocks and branches, she never really noticed them appear after she took care of the small ones. Only the big rocks and stumps were on her field still. She had planned to get rid of them but somehow always ended up on forgetting to go to the mines to collect a copper ore.

Finished with weeding, Claire then watered her crops and checked to see if any had to be harvested. She was getting used to the idea that crops in Mineral Town grew a lot faster than the ones on the mainland... Okay, that was a lie; she still was freaked/amazed about it. The day she had made her discovery, she had thought about whether or not to tell her two friends back at her old home about the strangeness of Mineral Town but had decided not to. It was for the best since Kat's mouth had been known to blab about things that she had "promised" not to... well, not all the times, but Claire couldn't risk it.

She then decided to gather stuff in the mountains and forests. Rucksack on her back, she ventured into the forest. She gathered anything from wild grasses to wild berries—anything that she could ship she gathered. Her rucksack carried everything that she did, but she wondered to herself if she should get something else for gathering stuff in the forest and mountain. _I saw a basket for sale in the Supermarket. I wonder if that's also bigger on the inside... The thought of it excites me!_

Her mind wondered to one of her favorite TV shows Doctor Who, the show she had watched with her brother way back. It had been one of the sanctuaries that she could get away in, especially when her parents were partying or just drinking. Even though the circumstances behind watching it were disturbing at times, she still enjoyed those memories. She didn't know whether it was because she had watched them with her brother or because the episodes themselves captured her. But she tended to think that it was the fact she had watched them with her brother. It was like an inside thing, especially when nobody understood what they were talking about or why the brother-sister duo acted the way they did. That's how she had liked it and still did to some extent.

She snapped back to reality when she saw a deer grazing in a field of grass. She stopped in her tracks and watched the deer grazing. That only lasted for so long before Claire decided that she would try to approach and pet it. She stealthily tiptoed towards the deer, being careful not to step on anything which could produce noise. But all her actions failed miserably when she heard a familiar sound originating behind her. The deer, in turn, scurried off. Turning around, she saw the culprit. "Akira! You just scared off that deer!"

Akira just sat down and panted.

"What are you doing here, girl, anyways?"

The dog closed her mouth and cocked her head.

Claire didn't know what her dog meant till she looked around. "Crap!" she spoke to herself, "Where am I? How the hell did I get here? And how will I get-" she looked at her dog, "home... You knew didn't you, Akira?"

Her dog barked.

"I am such a lucky girl to have you, you know that?" she remarked while scratching Akira's head, "Come on, girl, let's go home. Momma's gotta break in her new DVD player. You lead the way."

Following Akira, Claire chuckled to herself on how intelligent her dog was. _I've never seen any dog like Akira... well, on TV—but... nah! _she dismissed her wild theory, _Though it would be cool. I should think about getting a chicken for my farm or even a cow or a sheep! Maybe I'll first get a chicken. Then I would be shipping something everyday, regardless if I don't harvest or gather in the forests and mountains._

Her dog's barking snapped her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Claire had been walking the wrong way. "Oops, hehe! Sorry, girl. I guess Momma should've been paying attention instead of getting lost in her thoughts... again. That's how I ended up lost in the first place. I never seen or even heard of that field before—it's quite beautiful there and ooo! There was a hill there and-"

Her dog barked again.

"You're right... I'm rambling too much. Lead onward, Akira!"

Before Claire had another chance to get lost in her thoughts, the sight of her fields soon appeared before her. Dragging pass her small chicken coop, she collapsed near her apple tree. "Too... tired... to... make it... must..." she mumbled while sleep overcame her.

Heavily lifting her eyes partly open, Claire noticed a small object. She slowly pulled it close to her and then closed her eyes again. Breathing in the aroma of the object, her eyes popped open. That smell—she recognized it, but it had been only once... well, once in the building. She shot up, sitting against the tree. Her eyes dropped down to the object she held. Eyes bulging out, she saw _UMA _written on the object. She recognized that _UMA _cap anywhere. "Uh-oh!" glancing over to her relaxed dog, "Akira, what did you do?" she groaned.

Just on cue, he stomped onto her farm. "That dam mutt of yours stole my hat, and I want it back!" he demanded.

She stood up and smoothed her overalls down. Looking at the angry blacksmith apprentice, she noted how different he looked without his hat. _I bet his hair hasn't seen the light of day till now. _she chuckled inside. "Why hello Gray! Nice weather we're having, and oh I'm fine by the way..." she trailed off, "And for the record, she's **not** a mutt; she's an Australian Shepherd and a rather smart one for that matter."

"Claire, I just want my dam hat back!" he muttered, quickly losing his patience.

"Not until you apologize."

"For what?"

"For dissing one of my favorite TV shows a few days ago!"

"What is with you and apologies?"

"Just humor me, Gray."

"No..."

"Excuse me?" she almost shouted.

"Prove to me that it's not a stupid show." he said, reaching up to pull down his hat but quickly realized that the blonde-haired farmer had it still.

"And how would I do that?"

"You're the one who got a DVD player today..." he trailed off.

Claire blinked and blinked some more; she was absolutely flabbergasted, speechless—no words could properly explain what she was thinking or even how she felt. She was definitely _not_ expecting Gray to say that. She expected him to mutter an apology just so he could get his hat back then go off his merry way. But that was thrown out the window! Her mouth gaped open; but as quickly as it went down, it went back up.

"Y-you mean like a-as in an e-episode?" she managed to stutter.

"If that'll get my hat back..."

"Well... f-follow me then."

When they (Akira included) were inside her house, she motioned for Gray to take a seat on a couch which he did. She could have sworn she saw a smirk on his face but quickly pushed it aside, blaming it on her tiredness. Akira then jumped on the same couch as him and started licking his face. Standing in front of the television, Claire couldn't help but laugh at the scene she saw. "Akira!" she finally commanded, stifling a laugh.

Akira stopped, looked at Claire, and then barked before jumping off the couch. "I had everything under control." he stated.

"Sure you did..." she paused to think before continuing, "Here." she threw his hat at him. He caught it, giving her a confused look. "You don't—I'm not going to force you to-"

"Just start it already." he interrupted, putting his hat back on.

"But you-"

"Claire."

She opened her mouth once more but nothing came out. Puzzled, she shrugged her shoulders and then placed the disk in her DVD player. Taking the couch to the right of her, she plopped on it and started the episode up. The one that she chose was Blink.

During the episode, Gray noticed how engrossed she was in the show. It was as if nobody else existed to her. Yeah, he watched the episode but from time to time he would glance at her, watching her reactions. He didn't know why either. But instead of figuring that one out, he brushed it aside thinking nothing of it.

**Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow.**

Claire giggled after she heard that; she always did.

**Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck.**

After Claire heard those words, she powered down her DVD player. "Well?" she turned her attention towards Gray.

"I'll never look at a stature the same way, especially the ones at the Church."

Claire lightly chuckled. "But what about the overall episode? What do you think of it?"

"Different... but in a good way, I guess." he answered.

An awkward silence soon befell them. "So..." she broke the awkwardness, petting Akira beside her, "not so stupid, huh?"

"I guess not." he slightly chuckled. He paused then continued, "I now have some sort of an idea why you were freaking out over the shipping bins." he commented.

"How did-"

"Everyone in town heard you yell, loud and clear."

"I yelled that loud?" He nodded. She then blushed. "Well, I couldn't help it!" she protested still red from embarrassment.

Sitting on their respective couches, Claire continued petting Akira while Gray found the grains on the floor interesting. Neither one of them had the desire to continue conversation or simply didn't know what to talk about next. They never had been in a room where they tolerated each other; usually both of them ignored each other or, when the did interact, argued.

Claire couldn't bare the silence any longer; she had to say something. "Why did you stay?" she inquired.

He pulled down his hat, hiding his face, "Cause..." he mumbled.

"Well, that explains everything; I now understand. Thanks for clarifying!" she sarcastically remarked.

"I didn't have anything else better to do!" he snapped. Pausing, he glanced at his watch, "It's late, and I need to go." he muttered. Opening the front door, he turned his head back, "This doesn't mean we're friends or anything." Then he left.

"Would it hurt you?" she muttered to herself then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. _I did not just say that... not that it matters—he was long gone anyway._

_**Ah, but the fact that you did indicates that you want to be friends with him.**_

_You never ever voiced up before Mineral Town. Why all of the sudden? What the hell is here that wasn't in the city?_

_**A life: and not just being, you know living: you have an opportunity to have a great life here: don't screw it up! Gee, you should be grateful.**_

_Tell me, how does Gray fit into all of this? Cause last time I checked we aren't on good terms. If anything, he's a pain in the you know where._

_**Yet you asked—no wait invited him over to watch one of your all time favorite sci-fi shows with you.**_

_He was the one who dissed it! So I had to prove him wrong; and I believe I did!_

_**Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that.**_

_But that is the truth!_

_**Maybe part of it, but not the full truth.**_

_What do—Gah! Why do I even bother arguing? With myself of all people!_

After angrily finishing her dinner, she threw her dish in the sink. She stormed into her bathroom, preparing herself for bed. Her conscience then decided to nail her with one last thought.

_**Why do you think he stayed?**_

_I asked him bu-_

_**No, I said why do **_**you****_ think he stayed._**

_I-I-I don't know..._

And she didn't. Plopping herself on her bed, she tried to think of a logical reason but found none. _I won't worry about it. It's _so_ not worth it... wait a minute, how did he know I received my DVD player today? ...stalker._

As she pushed those thoughts aside, she fell into the world of dreams where apparently she had superpowers this time.

* * *

**Like I said: I'm sure half of you were scratching your heads and going o.O**

**But seriously, check Doctor Who out—it is AWESOME! It's basically about a mad man with a blue box—there's the blue box reference! And his blue box is called the TARDIS.  
And the episode, Blink, that I featured in this chapter—well, it's a pretty good one; you can say, it's sort of on the horror side. Let's just say, if you watch it, you may not view statures (specifically angel ones) the same way. Oh, and heads up: I'm going to feature at least one more ep of it—which I say is one of my favs!  
And yes, it's most certainly one of my obsessions! ^_^ So I HAD to put it in! Hence in the summary: fiction takes a whole new meaning for her—cause it does. (But I'm not making it where the Doctor is real or anything - he will only be part of the TV show she watches, nothing more)  
**

**Oh, and before I forget: I do not own Doctor Who... sadly... if I did, welll, let's just say I wouldn't have created the character River in the first place LOL!**

**But enough chit chat about one of my favorite shows—did you people like the chapter? Let me know if you did... or if you didn't—either way, it's nice hearing from you all! ^_^  
**

**Oh, and you maybe wondering, "What the-? Turnips in the game are ripe in 4 days not 12!" I'm doing the story in our time; so I did some calculations and multiply 4 by 3 to get 12. It's approx but close enough. :) (my one-shot my help understand it)  
But the point is, things growing in Mineral Town are really different in this story - I though it would be a cool twist!  
**

**Look out for more! And thanks for reading this chap!**

**Oh, one more thing: does anybody wanna guess why I named her dog Akira? There's a reason that I did.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Another chapter up!  
Alrighty then! On with the story!**

* * *

"It doesn't go there, Andrew!"

"Does it really matter, Ann? She won't notice."

"What do you mean _she won't notice_? Women notice these things!"

"I don't th-"

"**Listen up people!**" Ann shouted while standing on a table, "**The decorations don't just go anywhere! I want this party to be perfect! So chop chop!**"

"What the hell, Ann? Are you trying to kill me here?" a gruff voice from a ladder yelled, "It's bad enough I'm up here, but your sudden shouting doesn't help! I almost fell, you know!"

"Don't be such a big baby, Gray. If I wanted to kill you, I would've already done it." she retorted, "In your sleep!" she then added.

"Why couldn't Cliff do this?" he demanded, ignoring Ann's remark.

"You know Cliff gets dizzy when he's up high! And he might fall! Use your head, Gray!" she snapped at him, blushing slightly.

"Oh! So _I'm_ the expendable one here! Figures... since you-"

"Just hang up the stupid streamers, Gray!" she interrupted, blushing.

"I can help you, Gray, if you like." Andrew offered.

"That would-"

"Oh no you don't! You're not getting off that easily, Andrew!" she exclaimed, pulling his ear.

"Ow, Ann! That hurts!" Andrew protested, "And what did I ever do?"

"And neither are you, Gray! Keep hanging those streamers!" she turned her head towards Gray as she led Andrew upstairs.

She led him to one of the bathrooms. Inside, there were cleaning supplies already laid out. "You," she released her grip on his ear, "are going to clean the bathrooms up here! And I want them spotless!"

"But no one's going to be up here!" Just as he said that, he mentally facepalmed himself.

"And where do you think people will do their business! Huh?" she pointed out, "Certainly not in the bushes!"

"Okay, okay, Ann. Calm down. An oversight on my part." He paused for a bit. "But it is amusing watching you get all worked up." he teased.

"Just do it!" she huffed out with a slight blush on her face. _Why does he do that?_ she thought as she went down the stairs. "Not like that, Gray!" she yelled. _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

_Ann and her plans... hehe that rhymes! _Claire thought as she slipped on her red-and-white polka-dot dress, _Girl's night... what is Ann up to? A session of truth or dare with every available girl? Oy! I hope not! With Ann though, anything is possible... especially today, my birthday. Wow! The 28th sure comes by fast!_

"Akira, how do I look?" she twirled around, showing off her dress. The style was your basic sleeve-less dress with a high neckline. She also wore a white thick belt which matched perfectly.

Akira barked excitedly in response which caused Claire to laugh. "Thanks, girl!"

Claire looked in her mirror one last time, making sure her ponytail was in place. She tried to braid her hair earlier, but failed miserably. She just didn't have the talent like her friend Ann did.

Slipping into her bright red heels, she grabbed her red clutch and exited her house. _I still have it!_ she thought as she traveled in her heels to her destination, the Inn. When she arrived, she opened the doors only to find it rather dark inside. She searched for the light switch but remembered that it was located at the other side of the Inn where the bar stood. "Ann! Stop messing with me and-"

"SURPRISE!" everyone shouted as the lights turned on.

She stared at everyone before her. Nearly everyone in town came... scratch that; it seemed like everyone did. Her eyes tried to find out if anybody was missing but didn't find any. She couldn't believe that everyone cared for her so much. _Yup. Everyone is in their regular clothes... just like Ann to tell me to "dress up" for "girl's night" since "everyone else will." Sometimes I swear she's up to something... meh, it's my birthday: I won't think anything of it—this time._

Noticing her brother pointing to his left, she looked to her right and gaped her mouth open. "Noo-How-Andrew, how?" she managed to say.

"Like I told Ann: connections. But you should know by now that they would do it willingly for you... well, us... you get the point."

Claire nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. Back when she and her brother competed, a music group The Merry Fellows took a liking to them. They had watched the brother-sister dance duo compete and thought them to be rather good. The first time they met, Claire and Andrew were at a country festival in a small town where their great aunt lived. Square dancing was a big thing in that town, and it wasn't a surprise that the town managed to get the one group who played the best square dancing music: The Merry Fellows. While everyone was square dancing, Claire and Andrew started to do some notable moves which caused the people around them to stop and just watch them. Everyone cheered when the duo and music stopped. Then, of course, The Merry Fellows had to comment; and, of course, Andrew had to mention Claire's amazing footwork (which he _humbly_ took the credit for); and, of course, The Merry Fellows had to ask her to show off her footwork not where she was but on the stage with them. From that time forward, the group and the brother-sister duo were close till about eight years ago when Andrew left. That was when contact was lost to some extent... that is, until tonight.

Them being there at the Inn... well, that was more than a girl like her could dream of. Okay, that's not exactly true since there were other things that she had dreamed of happening (but knew that they wouldn't happen), but she was still ecstatic about them being there.

Claire suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that Ann had been rambling. What was the subject—the blonde didn't know exactly. All she knew was it was something related to decorations? But even that she wasn't sure on. "Do you like 'em?" Ann asked.

"Hmm?" Claire blinked.

"The decorations!"

"Ohhh, yeah I do. Love the arrangement of them!"

Ann clapped her hands in excitement. Turning her head towards the nearby Andrew, she stuck out her tongue in triumph. "Told ya!" Ann yelled out. This, of course, confused Claire.

"Still going on about the decorations, I see." Andrew remarked as he approached the two. Turning his attention to his sister, he continued, "Funny thing I found out today, sis: Ann loves bossing people around more so than anything else! And I would even bet on more than cleaning which she loves all so much. And I have the ear ache to prove it!" Claire stifled a laugh.

"That's not true!" Ann protested, "People weren't doing their assigned tasks properly! Someone needed to crack the whip!"

"Yeeaah," he dragged out, "but I saw your look: you enjoyed it. Admit it, Ann: you know I'm right." he teased.

Ann rolled her eyes then dragged Claire to mingle with the guests. The first guests they went to were Elli and Trent. Ann started her ramblings again. _Ann just won't stop talking will she? Crap, is he doing it again?Is he—nooo, lalalala! Figment of my imagination, remember? Yeeaah... then how come it doesn't feel like it? And how come my beloved conscience isn't saying anything? Not that I mind; I'm enjoying the quietness. Okay, now I really am insane... _Crap!_ It looks like I'm staring at him! And what's worse—__**He sees that!**__ Look away! Look away! Look awaay!_

"Claire?" She looked at Ann. "Looks like you weren't all there." Ann winked.

Claire laughed nervously. "Err... umm... Oh look! There's Cliff! Let's go say hello to him!" she babbled while dragging Ann, "Later Trent and Elli!" Elli had a confused look while Trent—well, who knows what he was thinking. But one thing was for sure: he fell further in... love, and not with Elli.

"Claiiire!" Ann protested.

The two stumbled over to Cliff who was sitting in a quiet area. "Hey, Cliff." Claire spoke.

"...H-Hi C-Claire." Cliff stuttered.

"Ann say hi! Don't be rude!" Claire whacked Ann. _I'm _so_ going to enjoy this! Ha!_

"H-Hey Cliff." Ann tried not to stutter.

"Mind if we sat here with you?" Claire inquired.

"W-Well, n-"

"Good!" Claire sat down, dragging the blushing ginger to sit in the chair beside her. "Sooo, how have you been, Cliff? I don't see much of you around." Claire knew where he went since Ann would remind her many times anytime the ginger would talk about him, but she couldn't help it: she was enjoying watching Ann squirm. _Ann's _so_ going to get back at me: I just know it. But right now, _I'm_ the one making _her_ feel uncomfortable; and I'm going to enjoy every last minute of it._

"I-I-I'm usually at the C-Church." he mumbled.

"Why do you go there?"

"I-It's a q-quiet place."

"Ahh, so I guess the Inn gets noisy, huh. I can see why you go there. I know I would just to get away from the arguing."

"What arguing?" Ann barged into the conversation.

"Why the arguments you have with my brother, silly!"

"We don't argue!" she exclaimed.

"Come now, Ann. I go to the Inn now and then. Don't tell me you don't. You two argue over the dumbest things like plates! Even earlier you two argued a bit. It's no secret, Ann."

"T-That's—excuse us C-Cliff" The ginger flushed.

Ann yanked the blonde out of her seat and led her to an area where she was sure no one would over hear the conversation. "What are you trying to do, Claire? Embarrass me to death?"

"No, just having a simple conversation with Cliff, that's all; why, did I say something?" the blonde farmer chuckled.

"Only everything! You're going to scare Cliff away!"

"No, I won't. He likes you, and it wouldn't matter what I did... at least I don't think so."

"Wha—wait, you think he likes me?" Ann blushed, calming down a bit.

"Well, if being just as uncomfortable as you were indicates anything—then, yeah I guess so... I think. Or was I indeed scaring him... I can't tell with Cliff. He's not an easy book to read."

"Claire, sometimes—Ugh, I don't know what to do with you!" The innkeeper's daughter threw her hands up in the air.

"Likewise." Claire commented. Ann rolled her eyes.

Both of them mingled for a while longer.

Food was soon served. Hungry guests sat around the tables located mainly on one side of the Inn; some though sat at the bar. As soon as everyone finished the delightful meal, both Ann and Andrew came out with a lighted up cake. Everyone sang the _Happy Birthday _song, singing very off tune. But that didn't matter to Claire: she was just happy to be in a town where people truly cared about each other.

Dancing began not long after the cake was served. It was square dancing, a dance where all of the young people participated. Even some of the married couples tried it out. But the two that weren't on the floor was surprisingly Andrew and Claire.

Annoyed at watching Ann and Cliff dancing, Andrew grabbed Claire's hand and led her to the dance floor. "Do you mind if we revert back to the old days? Well... to some extent."

She blinked at him. "On one condition," He nodded, "we have fun doing it." she smiled.

"Of course! Why would you think otherwise?"

She glanced at Ann causing him to form an _O_.

She kicked off her heels and started to dance with her brother. And danced they did with the fancy foot work and everything like a hoedown.. sort of. It didn't take long before everyone stopped dancing and watched the two in awe as they clapped to the rhythm of the music. This in turn made Claire blush.

When they were done, everyone clapped, and some even cheered. "You two still have it!" the lead fiddler commented.

Andrew bowed while Claire curtsied.

While Andrew was being bombarded by everyone around him, Claire managed to have a conversation with The Merry Fellows. It had been awhile, and she wanted to catch up. She found out that they have been doing quite well, doing gigs for different small towns and even some cities. They bade her a Happy Birthday then went back to playing more music.

Picking up her heels, she then walked over to the bar. Hardly anyone was there, except for Gray at the corner while Karen and Rick were at the other end near the stairs. Ann came running towards her. "Claire, your clutch is vibrating." she handed the clutch to Claire, "Oh, by the way, great dancing! Didn't know you or even Andrew could do that!"

"You never asked." Claire stated.

Claire opened her clutch and picked up her vibrating phone. On the other end was none other than her best friend, Kat. "_Happy Birthdaaay!_" Kat yelled, causing Claire to retract her phone from her ear.

"Thank you, Kat. Hold on: I'll put you on where you can see me and I can see you."

Claire then pushed some buttons. "Here we are." Claire stated.

Kat waved, "_Okay, let me cut to the chase: who's that behind you?_" she pointed.

"Oh that's Ann. Ann, meet Kat; Kat, meet Ann... or see—you know what I mean."

"Hi!" Ann waved.

"I've heard so much about you." both Ann and Kat exclaimed.

They both then laughed. "_We would _totally_ get along!_" Kat exclaimed, "_Now Claire," turning her attention back to her, "since I now know why you haven't answered your laptop for the past hour, being at a party and all, why don't you introduce me to everyone._"

"Starting with Gray!" Ann chimed in.

"Fine." Claire groaned. She pointed her phone towards where Gray was solemnly sitting at, "Gray, why don't you say hello to my friend Kat; she wants to meet you."

He glared at Claire. "Why should I?" he scowled.

She turned her phone back to facing herself, "That's his language for hello."

"_I can see what you mean, Claire. And I totally agree even though I saw from a distance: he's totally ho-_"

"Kat!" she yelled.

"_What? I'm just repeating what you to-_"

"**Kat!**"

"_Alright, alright, I'll stop, geez. Now introduce me to as many people as you can! Oh, before I forget, Kale says _Happy Birthday."

"Tell him I said 'Thanks'"

"_You can tell him now; he just arrived here._"

While waiting for Kale to appear on screen, Claire then heard Ann whispered in her ear, "We need to talk later; if not later, then definitely tomorrow." The ginger left to mingle soon after.

A shiver went down her spine. She knew why Ann wanted to talk. _Karma... I'm _soo_ doomed! And I'm __going to kill Kat..._

After Kale and Claire exchanged greetings, Claire then took her phone and introduced her two friends to the people of Mineral Town... well as many as she could. Karen tried giving wine to the two tiny people living in the blonde's phone, but fortunately Rick stopped her. Popuri squealed and smiled brightly. Stu and May excitedly waved at the two people on the other side of the phone. Elli smiled and waved, and Mary pushed her glasses towards her face. Everyone else either smiled or waved or both. They were all glad to meet friends of Claire's, even if it was only over a phone.

Now when it came to Andrew, no introduction was needed... except for Kale. Andrew, of course, didn't know him, but Kat he did. "Andrew."

"Kat."

"_How have you been?_" she slyly asked.

"No matter what I say, you're going to explode."

"_You bet your-_"

"Okay, that's enough talking with Andrew now." Covering her cell with her hand, she turned her attention towards her brother, "She gives her best."

"I'm sure she does." he sarcastically remarked.

She then uncovered her cell, "_Claire, you never said that you made up with your brother._"

"Well, I haven't... exactly... but I am trying to get along—it's not exactly easy as it sounds, but somehow I manage to some extent. Maybe cause..." She looked around making sure nobody was in hearing distance, "he has a crush on a girl here who likes somebody else, and well, I just feel bad." she slightly whispered.

"_Oooo! More gossip! Spill Claire._"

"I can't: he would kill me! And even if I could, I wouldn't here—that would be insane!"

"_Fiiine. I'll let this one slide._" Kat reluctantly said.

"Good. So what have you and Kale been doing since we last spoke a few days ago?"

"_Not much really... well me that is. Kale! Get out of my fridge! Sorry, Claire._"

"That's alright Kat. But what exactly is Kale doing with you at your condo anyways?"

"_Ahh, well... he's been helping me with... with this thing—my blender, yeah! It's completely shot._"

"Kat?"

"_Yeah?_"

"I know when your lying. You never were a good liar. Spill the truth out _now._"

"_Well, you see... it started awhile ago—we were going to tell you-_"

"No way!" the blonde-haired farmer exclaimed, "You serious? You? Kale? I knew there was chemistry between you two, but—Kat you have no idea how excited I am for you."

"_Really?_"

"Course, silly! You two are my best friends! How come you never told me before?"

"_I guess it never really came up..._" Kat trailed off.

"What you mean _it never came up_? In the past, I've constantly, whenever I could, teased you about Kale. You could've told me then."

"_I guess I was concerned?_"

"And you talk about me being that way."

"_Well, sorry. Anyways, birthday girl, do you have a special someone?_"

"Kat! You know I don't! I told you that—what, about a week ago?" Claire almost yelled, but thankfully no one took notice.

"_Yeah, I know. Just observing your reaction to it. And I'll say this much: you like someone there, and I think you know who I'm talking about since you complain about him pretty well every single time we speak._"

"Kat!-"

"_Yeah, I know; you told me you don't want anything to do with the opposite sex, but Claire: sooner or later, you'll throw that out the window—and don't you dare protest cause I've known you long enough to know that that's something you're going to do. It only takes _one_._"

"Your wrong on that one, Kat. I _don't_ like any guy here, especially not _him_."

"_Ah, my dear friend. One day you'll see._"

"Pretty sure I won't. Anyways, Kat. I think I should be going."

"_Alright. I do too. Kale's taking me somewhere which he _refuses_ to tell me. I'll talk to you... well, whenever. Bye, and keep in mind what I said._"

"Bye Kat, and you're wrong."

"_No, Claire, _you're_ wrong._" With that, Kat hung the phone up.

She sighed as she placed her cell back in her clutch.

Looking around, she noticed that the party was pretty much over. All who was left was Ann, Andrew, Cliff, Doug, Gray, Rick, and a reluctant drunk Karen. Andrew and Doug started cleaning while Cliff and Gray helped but only after Ann threatened them... or rather Gray.

Ann skipped towards Claire. "So, me, Karen, Popuri, Elli and Mary are coming over to your house tomorrow morning so that we can watch you open your gifts, okay? Good!" Ann grinned.

_Again, no cho-_

"**Gray! Cliff! Help Claire with her presents and escort her home!**" Ann commanded loudly, interrupting Claire's thoughts.

"Wait—what? No, I'll do it myself or with Andrew." she protested.

"Sorry, sis. I can't. I would but my job sort of involves cleaning." he said as he cleaned a table.

"Then let Ann clean—she loves to clean! I'm sure Doug will allow you!"

"Sorry, sis." he repeated.

Claire glared at the ginger who only smirked at her. _Ann, just you wait! I'll have my revenge!_

"**Gray! What the hell did I just say? You and Cliff: help Claire!**"

"Dammit, Ann, make up your **mind**!" he scowled, "Why do I..." he muttered.

"Graaay!"

"I'm coming Ann! Geez! Nag Cliff, but leave me alone!"

Ann had a way with words.

Cliff and Gray gathered Claire's presents and followed the blonde out of the Inn. The walk to her farm house was a quiet one for the most part. Cliff obviously was quiet. But Gray—he kept muttering and complaining about "that dam ginger." Claire couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Arriving at her house, she opened the front door motioning them inside. "Just place them on the couches or on one if they all fit or whatever." she requested.

They both obeyed.

"Thanks." she said, "Sorry that Ann forced you two to help. I don't know what the hell was going on in her head."

"Insanity, that's what." Gray muttered.

"That I can't argue. But that's Ann! Oh wait." She went into her kitchen and fetched some candies. Returning, she continued, "Here." She handed the candies to them. "For your troubles."

"T-thanks..." Cliff managed to say. Gray grunted.

"Well, see you guys later." she said, indicating for them to leave.

Gray walked out. "B-bye, Claire." Cliff shyly waved then headed out.

Claire changed into her PJ's and then collapsed into her bed. _That was a good birthday. Aand... eventful. Twenty-four now. Yippee!_ She soon fell asleep.

* * *

"I-I don't find Claire like anything you described her; s-she's rather nice." Cliff commented when they were in their room.

"That's because you were there too." Gray mumbled, "If you weren't, she would've been a completely different person."

"I don't k-know about that, Gray; m-maybe your getting worked up for no reason. Or-"

"What the hell you mean I'm angry for no reason? Of course there's a reason!"

"T-Then what's your reason?" Cliff inquired.

_For a guy who barely talks to anyone, he sure pries a lot._

"Cause, cause... Gah! She's Claire!"

"That's no reason." Cliff stated, gaining more confidence as the conversation progressed, "Maybe-"

"What the hell do you know?" Gray yelled, throwing his hands up in the air, "You're no expert! You can barely utter one word to Ann or anybody else other than myself and Andrew nevermind a sentence!"

"W-we're not t-talking about m-me!" Cliff stuttered.

"Whatever... It's not like I have to explain my reasons to you anyways; it's not like you'll understand them..." Gray muttered as he sat on his bed.

"I may not understand, but I do t-think I understand one thing: you like her."

"**What! What madness has possessed you?**" Gray shouted, increasing in pitch. "**Why would you think something like that?**"

"You were at Claire's not that long ago." Cliff calmly said.

"To get my hat back from her dam mutt."

"You were wearing it in her house."

"Wha—How in the hell would you know, anyways?" Gray demanded.

"I-I sort of followed y-you and p-peaked in through her w-window." Cliff answered, afraid of what Gray would do next.

"...Well, it doesn't mean a d-"

"What'cha two talking about?" Andrew remarked while entering the recently closed room.

Andrew only got silence from the two.

"I see..." he said as he thought. Then it hit him.

He smirked as he changed for bed. "What the hell are you smirking about?" Gray muttered.

"Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about what I'll be talking about next time I talk to Claire." His smirk turned into an evil grin.

"You were eavesdropping, were you!" Gray nearly blew out his larynx, "You're no better than that ginger menace named Ann!"

"Weelll, I learned from the best." Andrew grinned as he shrugged his shoulders.

"How much did you hear?" Gray demanded.

"Enough to tell my sister something ...juicy... but I won't."

"Good! And even if you did, _none_ of it is true!"

"Whatever you say Gray." Andrew teased. Gray scowled then rolled his eyes.

The three of them laid in their respective beds and soon succumbed to sleep. Cliff thought about Ann a bit, but not fully; Gray plotted the demise of "that ginger menace named Ann" and Cliff and maybe Andrew: heck, he threw the blonde-haired farmer into the mix of names; and Andrew thought about his sister as well as Ann.

* * *

**Oh, and I made up the group The Merry Fellows—if there's a group out there that has the same name, well that's purely coincidence. I'm not into a whole lot of music cause I'm _very_ picky when it comes to music.  
And again, since I don't know dances... the description—well I hope it was alright lol!**

**Looks like Trent got the hots for Claire lol! (Poor Elli...) And Ann, haha; her character is one that I love writing.**

**So thanks for read this chappy! XD  
Another one will be on it's way! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sigh, another chappy!**

**I wonder if I'm doing a good job and all... I do wonder if I am; sometimes I reread what I wrote and scratch my head, "Is this even any good?" Whatever *shrugs***

**Haha, never mind that^; just enjoy this chapter—oh and it has a number of references XD**

* * *

"Claiiire! Wake uuup!" a familiar voice shouted. That same voice also was in her dreams.

"Five more minutes..." Claire mumbled in her sleep.

Patience not her strong suit, Ann yanked the blankets off from the tired farmer. Claire still didn't stir. The innkeeper's daughter did the next best thing. She went into Claire's kitchen and grabbed a pot and spoon. Heading back inside Claire's bedroom, she gave an evil grin. "_Wake up!_" she yelled while banging the pot with the spoon.

"The Ori have arrived!" Claire violently woke up. She then saw a grinning Ann. "Was that necessary, Ann? You could've given me a dam heart attack! And I was having such a wonderful dream... grant you, dangerous, but wonderful."

"Did Gray happened to be in it?"

"No." Claire yawned.

"Liar."

"Okay fine, but he was a red shirt."

"A what?" A puzzled look appeared on Ann's face.

"Haven't you people seen any sci-fi? Geez, he was one of the first ones that died. A rather horrible death might I add. Let's just say a Wraith feeding on you, not good."

"Claire, you have a messed up head."

"And I'm proud of it!" Claire bounced out of her bed. "Why are you..." she trailed off while noticing Ann's folded arms. "Oh, yeah, presents."

"Yeah, _presents_." Ann dragged out.

"Give me about an hour to get started on my chores; then I'll break for presents. Did you know I have a chicken now?"

"Yes I do: you told me only about a _hundred_ times." the ginger exaggerated. "And no need to do your chores: as we speak Popuri's feeding your chicken while Karen, Mary, and Elli are watering/harvesting your crops, depending what's needed... oh and weeding too. So, we'll have plenty of time together: chatting and other things." Ann grinned. _Well that grin can't be good._

Claire glanced at her clock. "What the—**It's eight!**"

"I guess somebody partied too hard." Ann teased.

"Ann, farmers aren't suppose to wake up at eight—we have to wake up at six: sometimes earlier!"

"Oh, relax, Claire: yesterday was your birthday. Now come to the kitchen: I made you your breakfast!"

Grabbing her robe, Claire followed Ann into the kitchen. Laid out before her was bacon, eggs, and toast. She inhaled deeply, savoring the alluring smell. This caused her stomach to loudly growl. She looked at Ann and saw her trying to stifle a laugh. Claire just rolled her eyes and then sat down to eat. She gobbled down her food as if she hadn't eaten for days. "Thanks, Ann." Ann waved it off as if it was nothing.

Just then, the four other girls walked into the house. _It seems like my house is a public place now._ Claire greeted them and thanked them for all their hard work. The six girls moved the presents off the couch so that they all could sit down. Ann, of course, sat with Claire on the middle couch; Popuri and Karen took the right one while Mary and Elli took the left. On the coffee table, the presents awaited to be opened.

Claire decided to open her brother's present first to avoid favoritism and even rumors which she was sure Ann would no doubt start. Ripping through the wrapping paper, Claire caught a glimpse of the item and grinned. _Sort of figured he would. _She held up the present so that her friends could see, but they gave her puzzled looks. "Ohhh, this is what you were laughing hysterically about the other day." Ann stated as she grabbed Claire's arm so that she could get a better look at the item. "I still don't see it."

"That's because you haven't seen it." Claire pointed out. "I'm sooo glad Andrew got me the sixth series! Maybe the five of you can come over again, and then we can watch an ep! I know just the one too!"

"Continue." Ann said impatiently.

Claire chuckled to herself as she grabbed a random present. It was from Popuri. Opening it, she found a beautiful pink comb and some pink hair accessories. "Thanks, Popuri!" Popuri then beamed.

Next was Karen's. She opened it and found what she expected: wine. But she also found a coupon for the Supermarket, no doubt Jeff and Sasha's idea. "Thank you, Karen, for the coupon and... wine." Claire said, trying to sound sincere. She didn't mind the coupon; it was the wine that she did. _But it's the thought that counts._

"If you don't want the wine, I can take it off of you."

"Karen!" the other four girls shouted in disbelief.

Claire tried stifling a laugh, "That was your whole plan, wasn't it?"

"Welll..." Karen's eyes wandered.

"No worries, Karen, it's the thought that counts. The coupon will come in handy though. And I know how much you enjoy your wine. You can have it if you like but not until we are done hanging out for the day." Karen smiled at her; as long as she was getting wine, she was happy.

Claire grabbed a precision wrapped gift which was obviously from Mary. She carefully tore it open and found a book. This book fitted her tastes just perfectly. "Thank you, Mary!"

"I remember you once saying how you really wanted to read _The Power of Six_." Mary timidly commented.

"And now thanks to you, I now can!" Claire beamed.

After Claire placed her new book with her other gifts, she then grabbed a present which was from Elli. "Oh my..." she gasped as she opened the gift, "You did all of this? How did you even know about it?"

"My grandmother helped me with it but for the most part, I did!" the young nurse smiled, "And Ann told me how you really to seem to adore Doctor Who, so I did some research."

"Your grandmother must be a really fast knitter. Cause four's scarf is enormously long!" Claire remarked as she lifted the multicolored scarf out of the box.

"She's the best!" Elli beamed.

"Thanks, Elli!" Claire wrapped the long scarf around her neck once.

Now it was time for Ann's gift. Claire cautiously opened it as if she was disarming a bomb: she knew the ginger and didn't want to take any risks. "Come oon!" Ann whined, "Hurry up and open it! It's not going to explode, I assure you of that!" Somehow that didn't reassure her.

Finally finished opening it, she found a blank blue diary. "Ooo! A blue diary, eh? Thanks Ann!" Claire grinned; she knew the significance of the blue diary, specifically the blue part.

"Your welcome! Though your brother kind of had a hand in it; he was the one who suggested that particular blue: he said that you would know why or something like that."

"Oh believe me, messaged received!"

"When I think about it, you two are quite strange."

Claire only grinned.

"Anyways, now you have something to write down your _feelings _or whatever you want to call it. And then _moi_ can read it!" Ann declared.

The blonde farmer stared at Ann. "Only if I get to read yours!" The ginger-haired woman shot her a surprised look; Ann definitely wasn't expecting Claire to say that. "I'm sure there is plenty of juicy things in it that, let's say, you probably don't want anybody to find out about. Like Cliff for instance?" Ann blushed. "Or maybe even my brother?"

"Why would he care?"

"Believe me: if there's something my brother can tease you about, he will."

"I'm not worried about it." The innkeeper's daughter said in an uncertain manner. "Besides, what makes you think I even have one?"

"Don't deny it, Ann." Karen spoke up. "We all know you do, beneath all the tomboyish exterior. Just like we all know you enjoy receiving girly things once in a while though you pretend not to." The others agreed.

"Fine. I do have one: happy now? I have to somehow record my successful pranks!"

"Along with your personal _feelings_." Claire added.

"I—just continue opening..." Ann slouched into the couch.

Claire slightly giggled before grabbing another present. She opened one after another, getting anything from eggs to beauty supplies. She even got medicine of all things. _Only Trent... not that I'm singling him out or anything... Dammit! Just by thinking of him contradicts that! Dang it, Claire! Push that thought out and away!_ As she finished opening a gift from May, she found a small box inside. "Huh? What's this? I don't think this is from May." She pulled the small box out.

The five girls perked up... or more specifically Ann did.

"Who's it from?" Popuri inquired.

"A secret admirer!" Ann declared almost jumping off her seat.

"It doesn't necessarily mean it's from one though. It could be a gift that was accidentally dropped in there." the raven-haired librarian deducted.

"Exactly! So Ann, shut up." Claire chastised.

"Well, it could just as easily be from a secret admirer if he _purposely_ dropped it in there to go unnoticed." the innkeeper's daughter pointed out, emphasizing the word _purposely_, "Now open it!"

Claire rolled her eyes at Ann and opened the small box. Her eyes fell to the object inside. "What? That's it? Just some lousy key attached to some string?" Ann exclaimed. "Where's the card? Or at the very least love letter?"

Claire picked up the key necklace so that the other four girls had a chance to examine it. "Your guess is as good as mine." Claire said to the girls, ignoring Ann's rant.

"Could it be to a wine cellar?" Karen asked. Everyone stared at her. "What? A girl could dream."

"Maybe it's to an abandoned building which we don't know of!" the cotton-haired girl squeaked; Popuri always did act like a she was five.

"It could mean something." Elli commented.

"It has been said that a key could symbolize the key to ones heart." Mary said matter-of-factly.

"Now _that's_ more like it!" Ann lightly punched the air.

"Or it could mean nothing—to nothing. Could be just a key necklace, nothing more nothing less." Claire interjected, "Maybe one day I'll find out, but right now I need to get dressed and such since that was the end of the presents: I don't aim to stay like this all day."

She excused herself before anyone—or more specifically Ann—said anything else and went inside her bedroom to get dressed. She then peeled the scarf off and placed it on top of her dresser. Grabbing her overalls and a brown flannel shirt, she stripped down and then got dressed. She exited her bedroom and headed towards the bathroom. Brushing her teeth, she slightly over heard the conversation in the other room. The subject: her brother. "Do you girls remember when he arrived here? I know I do, quite well; that's when life in the Inn as I knew it vanished. Things haven't been the same since." That voice was distinctly Ann's.

"Things in this town hasn't been the same since." Karen corrected, "But in a good way."

"He seemed so sad though when he arrived here..." Mary added, "When he first came into the library, it seemed like he was content; but as I studied him closely, I noticed that something was off."

"Yeah, come to think of it, I noticed that too when he first came to the Clinic." Elli agreed.

"Well, I never heard anything from him." Ann replied to the four who where staring at her as if she had the answers. "All he ever really told me about his past was about Claire and how much fun times they had. He told me once though that there was a falling away, but he quickly changed the subject."

"Has anybody noticed how happy he seems to be now? To some extent that is." Mary pushed her falling glasses towards her face.

They all nodded in agreement.

"You know, when I think about it, Claire could be the reason. The day he found out she had moved here, his attitude, his look—everything about he seemed to change: a look of happiness and excitement but at the same time fear. I think Claire moving here did a good thing to him: now, he seems more happy. Though I have caught him moping around." Ann rambled.

_He's mopes at times cause he doesn't like you being with Cliff! _Claire thought as she listened through her bathroom door. She had just finished her business in the bathroom and had decided to listen to the girl's conversation. _...Was he really that miserable?_

The four other girls looked at one another. "We haven't seen him moping around, Ann." Karen remarked.

"Well, whatever."

"He's cute when he's happy!" Popuri piped up.

_NOW the conversation is really getting interesting!_

"What would Kai say to that?" Karen teased.

"Kai's not here!" Popuri stuck her tongue out, childishly. "Besides, I _know _each one of you think so too!"

All the other girls blushed.

_Who knew Popuri had that comeback in her. Ooo! I know! Absolute perfect time for an entrance! Hehe! I've been hanging around Ann too much, and I haven't even known her for two months..._

Claire shoved the bathroom door and barged into the conversation, "What have you girls been talking about? Hmm? My brother perhaps?" she teased. Each girl turned a different shade of red.

"Wait..." the ginger quickly realized, "Have you been eavesdropping?" Claire nodded her head and gave an evil smirk. "Claire! You're using _my_ tools against _me_!" Karen, Popuri, Elli, and even Mary shot Ann a what-about-us look. "I mean _us_!" Ann corrected.

"Yeah, so? You would do the exact same thing if I was talking about something that perked your interest."

"That's different! ...How much do you hear exactly?"

"Oh enough..." the blonde-haired farmer trailed off. "So, all of you like my brother." The five girls blushed even more. "Well, that's a problem considering each of you are so to say pursuing other guys: Popuri, Kai; Karen, Rick; Mary, Gray; Ann, Cliff; and Elli, Trent. My brother may be a pain at times, but he does have feelings."

They blushed even redder.

"I bet you are eying at least one of the guys we like." Ann quickly turned it on her. An evil smile crept on her face.

"Oh no, you're not turning this on me!" Claire caught on.

"Come on, Claire! There's bound to be one guy here that you like, regardless." Karen pushed the matter.

"Yeah, Claire!" Ann chimed.

"Tell you what: I'll rate them in order from one to five; but it doesn't mean a thing: not one dam thing. One, Cliff: he's really nice once you get past his shyness; two, Rick: a little too crazy about chickens, but nice; three, Kai: I haven't met the guy so I placed him in the middle; four, Trent: to be honest, he creeps me out; and lastly, Gray: let's just say, I'm not his number one fan." Some of them giggled or smiled when Claire spoke of the guy they liked.

"So, you like Gray then." Ann said matter-of-factly. Mary slightly squirmed in her seat.

"Ann! You of all people should know that I don't like the guy! I've told you this day after day practically!" Claire nearly shouted. "There's _no_ guys I like cause I'm done with men! They... they only break hearts." A couple of tears out of nowhere rolled down her cheek.

"Claire, I didn't mean... aww, Claire, I'm sorry." The ginger hugged the blonde. The others had concern and sympathy etched into their faces.

"I don' mean to pry—but what happened?" Elli inquired.

Wiping her face, she explained, "Long story short—the men I've dated either cheated on me, left me for another woman, or used me... I don't think I could handle another situation..."

"None of the guys here are like that though." Popuri innocently mentioned.

A small smile crept on Claire's face. "Thanks Popuri, but I meant what I said: I'm done with them."

"What if Mr. Right comes knocking on your door: what would you do then?" Mary asked timidly.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." Claire paused. "Anyways, I'll make everybody some lunch."

"I'm helping!" Ann chirped as she followed her blonde friend into the kitchen.

While those two were preparing lunch, the remaining four girls chatted. "Claire?" Ann spoke up while opening the fridge.

"Yeah?"

"Are you really serious on not dating anymore?" Ann closed the fridge.

"Umm, yeah; why?"

"Oh nothing really; just, well, having that certain blacksmith over at your house isn't what I call avoiding the dating scene." the ginger-haired woman glanced at Claire.

"Uh, well, umm, I—how in the hell did you know?" Claire gave her a puzzled look.

"Let's just say it's amazing what you here from one's room: mine's practically under the boy's room... that and a listening device comes quite in handy." Ann laughed to herself. "There are times where I catch Gray totally off guard, and the look on his face when he thinks no one knows but him—priceless!"

"You bugged their room? Ann!"

"What?" she smirked, "How else am I to have fun? _And_ know everything?"

_Note to self: before my brother does something stupid... wait, maybe I won't tell him about the bug: he did say to me that he doesn't want me to interfere with him winning Ann. And I would be interfering if I did tell him, well technically; but at the same time if I didn't, it still would be classified as interfering—oh, I'm good! Thanks Ann for the info! Though I'm sweeping my house when they leave—I'm not risking any more _situations_: I wouldn't hear the end of it from Ann._

"Claire, you're not contemplating on telling your brother, are you?" the ginger stared at her, arms crossed.

"No, no, not really—quite the opposite: I _know_ I'm not telling him." Claire beamed. "You never know, you might hear something you like or unexpected."

"I already do as it is." Ann chuckled.

After the two girls prepared lunch, they carried the food to the living room. The six of them talked from crushes they had to fashion even all while gobbling their food.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a dog barking from outside. "Claire!" the familiar voice yelled.

"What's my brother doing here?" the blonde-haired farmer asked no one in particular. The girls shrugged their shoulders.

Claire opened her front door and saw a sight which amused her. "Ahahahaha!" Claire pointed at her apple tree where the amusement was.

"Sis, this ain't a laughing matter." her brother exclaimed as he climbed a little higher. "For crying out loud! The dog should at least like me! The brother!"

"The four of you are afraid of my dog?" she managed to breath out while laughing uncontrollably. Even the other girls joined in laughter.

"Claire! Your dog was on _attack_ mode—what else were we suppose to do?"

"Where's Cliff?" Ann asked while laughing.

"H-Here..." a timid voice answered.

Everyone fixed their eyes on him.

That was the sight which sent Claire tumbling down to the ground clutching her stomach in laughter. "Why are you on the roof of Claire's house? Nevermind that—how did you get up there in the first place?" Ann inquired, trying to stifle her giggles.

"I-I just s-sort of did. And t-there's no room f-for me in the t-tree."

Claire laughed even harder.

"Why would any of you think that this sweet dog wanted to attack you?" Elli spoke up, slowly recovering from her laughs.

"That's what she wants you to think! She first acts all sweet then out of no where that happens!" Gray practically shouted as he pointed to the _menacing_ dog. Akira just barked. "Don't just lie there laughing, Claire! Do something with that dam mutt of yours!"

"It has been said that laughing is the best medicine." Trent commented matter-of-factly.

"What the hell? Is this really the time?" the blacksmith apprentice snapped.

If it was even possible, Claire managed to laugh even harder. "Stoooooppp! I caaan't breeeaath!" she breathed through her uncontrollable laughs. "You guys are going to be the deeaath of meeee in this tooowwnnn!" The blonde soon sat up, still trying to recover from laughing. "A-Akira!" she managed to say.

Akira cocked her head at her mistress. She saw her mistress's face and came bouncing towards her. Licking the blonde's face caused laughter to erupt from her.

"You guys are really pathetic." Claire remarked as she stood up. "Akira was only, one, protecting me from stalkers such as yourselves; and, two, she was being playful! Like, I mean _really_ playful." She pat Akira. "Weren't you, girl? Momma's proud of you!" Looking up at the boys still clinging onto the tree, she continued, "That means you _brave_ _men_ or I should say _boys_ can come down. You too Cliff!" she called out behind her.

"Sis, not cool." her brother commented as he climbed down from the tree after the other three did.

"Well, it serves every one of you right for coming here in the first place!" she scolded them. "What the hell were you guys doing here anyways? You-you stalkers!"

"What? I'm not allowed to visit my sister on her farm?"

"You aren't really the issue here; but for the record, you already did yesterday. What's the excuse for the rest of you? And don't you dare say cause you felt like visiting cause I know that's not true." she crossed her arms.

"We were curious..." Rick trailed off.

"Now what's that suppose to mean?" she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Let me speak for them and me. You see, when a group of girls such as yourselves gather together—well, things can get... interesting. It was my idea really..." Andrew explained.

"Oh my goodness! You were planning to eavesdrop!" Claire realized.

"Like brother, like sister." Ann mumbled.

"What?" the duo simultaneously said.

"N-Nothing!"

"Well, yeah." he continued explaining to his sister, "But I guess Akira had other plans."

"You mean she _knew_ you guys were planning to."

"I wouldn't really say that-"

"She's a lot smarter than you or even they think." Claire interrupted. "So I would just be careful if I were you." All she got were blank stares.

"Well, I don't know about any of you," Andrew turned his attention to his dazed comrades, "But hanging in a tree for awhile builds up an appetite! I'm hungry!" he tapped his stomach.

"You and Ann would totally be perfect for each other." As soon as Claire blurted that, she quickly covered her mouth, earned a I-thought-I-told-you-not-to-say-or-interfere look from her brother, and noticed a blush creeping on Ann's face. But what surprised her was Cliff's reaction... or rather lack of reaction; he just stood there—no scowl, no tension, nothing which really puzzled her.

"I think we all should leave." Mary stated, killing the tension between the brother and sister. "Thanks Claire for having us."

"No problem always a pleasure! Definitely have to do it again!"

Watching as her visitors leave, Claire waved good-bye. _That certainly was... eventful. _She walked into her house with Akira following. She stared at the mess in her house. _Ugh! Not going to fun cleaning this up! I'm so messy when I open gifts!_ Flopping on one of her couches, she began to think over the recent events. But before she could, she received a knock on her door. "Now what!" Claire muttered.

"You know how yesterday we were going to talk?" Ann said when Claire opened her front door, "And if we didn't then I said today? Well, here I am!" Claire blinked at her. "You thought I would forget, didn't you?"

"Ann, seriously? Don't you have to make my brother's lunch or something?"

"I told you: we are having this talk." the ginger barged inside, "Besides, my dad can handle it."

"Ann-"

"So, where to begin..." Ann plopped onto a couch. "I know: let's begin where _you_ commented to your friend on how _Gray_ is hot."

_Kat, if you ever visit... I'm murdering you in your sleep. _"What makes you think I did?"

"Cone on, Claire! I _heard_ with my own two ears even though you tried to mask it with yelling. You can't get anything by me." She paused. "You-"

"No I don't!" Claire interrupted. "Just cause I think a guy is good looking that doesn't mean I like him! Girls can notice that without liking the guy, you know."

"Mmmhmm." Ann hummed sarcastically.

"You're no different! I see and hear things. You may think you're the only one here in this town who knows everything, but that's where you're wrong!"

"Example?"

"My brother."

"Why you keep bringing him up?" Claire shot her a figure-it-out look. "What? You think I like _like _him?" The blonde-haired farmer smirked. "Yeah, I-I like him as a f-friend but nothing more!" Ann blushed.

"Then why the stutter and sudden color change to the face?" Ann grew silent and played with her braid. _Oh, I've got her now! _"I thought so."

"Claire! This talk is about you not me." _She didn't deny it! I say progress!_

"You're the one who started about guys not me. I'm just merely following the topic."

Ann's eyes wandered till she fixed them on the wine bottle. "I guess Karen forgot about the wine." she quickly changed the subject. "I'll take it with me and give it to her when I see her." She paused, thinking of what to say next. "I have to go anyways." She grabbed the wine bottle as she stood up.

"So soon?" Claire teased. "And here I was thinking that we were going to have a nice _loooong_ chat!"

"See ya, Claire!" Ann chirped with a hint of blush on her face. And Ann left.

"Ann wasn't expecting that, was she?" the blonde talked to herself. "If only he knew... heck, if only he saw Cliff's reaction to my sudden slip of the mouth."

She then flopped back on her couch and began to zone out. _Definitely an eventful day! ...I wonder about that mysterious key necklace... And whoa! I didn't know that every girl here had sort of a thing for my brother! My brother—was he really that miserable? Did I really perked his spirits up? Should I just forgive and forget? I'm trying, but somehow it's sounds easier than it really is... No depressing thoughts now, Claire. Time to watch the sixth series of Doctor Who that I got! That's one good thing about him—he knows me well._

* * *

**So... good? Bad? You know the drill... I think. Lol!**

**Oh, and when I wrote this, I had just finished _The Power of Six_ (which by the way was AWESOME! Can't wait for the next book!) and let's just say it was on my mind :P**

**And what is that key necklace? Well, you won't find out till later on XD *receives evil glares from people* Whoa now haha... I'll tell you this much: it's something staring right in Claire's face... then again if you never heard of the things that she likes... okay enough hints (or my pathetic excuse for ones lol)**

**Anyways, really hope you guys voice how you think of it so far; yeah I realize that Gray so far hasn't been entirely in it and maybe that's why not many are reading this; BUT I assure you: he will get his fair share of time in the story—mark my word!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing XD *hint? LOL  
Till the next!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Keep the reviews coming! XD**

**So this chapter will feature another ep! (Just in case: I love that show! Highly recommend it!)  
Oh and this ep is like my faaaavorite! XD  
Sadly though... I don't own it... :'(  
Imagine if I did though! *sighs and daydreams***

**Okay. Lol! Enjoy the chappy everybody!**

* * *

Claire stared down at her opened recipe book. "It's been awhile, huh recipe book." she patted the book, "Well don't blame me: blame the city! I didn't have the time to bake there! Well... occasionally but—gee, Claire, talking to an inanimate object now?" she shook her head but then giggled, "Yup... definitely insane."

Opening her fridge, she grabbed the butter, eggs, and buttermilk for the recipe. She then grabbed the rest of the required ingredients from her cupboards. It may have been strange to bake on that particular day, but she didn't care. "Today is just as a good day as the next." she shrugged her shoulders, talking to no one but herself, "Who cares about what today is; I certainly don't."

She glanced at her fist step. "Shoot, I forgot to gather my utensils I need and a couple of cake pans!" She gathered her utensils, preheated her oven, then lined her two cake pans with parchment paper.

"_Beat butter in large bowl till creamy; then beat in brown sugar till fluffy_." she read.

She followed the instructions in front of her then read what was next, "_Add the 3 eggs one at a time to mixture, beating well in between. Then beat vanilla and coffee granules._ It'll be interesting to see if using my own eggs will have a different taste than store bought ones."

Claire did exactly that and pushed onward, "_Blend flour with cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Then add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with __buttermilk__, in three additions, scraping down sides of bowl each time._ Sounds easy to me!"

After blending the flour mixture, the butter mixture, and the buttermilk, she divided the batter between the two pans then placed them in the oven. She set the timer for thirty minutes. Sighing, she walked into her living room and flopped onto a couch. _I'll make the icing when the cakes are done baking and completely cooled. Thirty minutes till I have to check on the progress on the cake... oh what to do... I could at least feed my chicken Alice, but I think she has enough feed since yesterday I placed too much._

A knock snapped her out of her thoughts. "What the—you think I wouldn't be bugged on this day since it's Spring Thanksgiving..." she muttered.

She opened the door and found four familiar faces. One of them, of course, was grinning away while the other three looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. "Ann, Karen, Elli, Mary, what are doing here?"

"Came over to hang out." Ann chirped.

"Actually, Ann wanted all of us to be here to 'complicate matters' for the guys since today they're suppose to give us cookies; you know Ann." Karen explained.

"Last place they will think to look!" Ann chimed.

"Then where's Popuri?"

"She already got hers in the mail. Kai always gives her some." Karen answered. Sighing she continued, "And Rick will no doubt complain about it..."

"Enough chit-chat! The guys may be here soon!" Ann barged inside, ushering the other three girls to come in. "What's that smell? Are you making something?"

"Yeah, I'm making chocolate cake: why?"

"You do know that guys give us girls cookies instead of the other way around."

"I'm well aware of that. That doesn't mean I can't bake. There's no dam law saying I can't, you know. Besides I'm most likely won't get anything anyways, not that I want any."

"Relax, Claire."

"Well, whatever. Since you already invited yourself in, you can make yourself at home." she thrust her arms up, giving up.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Ann teased.

Claire muttered something inaudible to Ann's ears and walked into her kitchen to clean up the dirty dishes she had used so far. "Don't worry, Claire! You'll get some cookies from someone today! I'm sure of it!" Ann hollered.

"Don't make me make you clean up my mess!" She then facepalmed herself. _Crap! What was I thinking! Ann loves to clean! That would be like rewarding her!_

"Oh, can I?" Ann shouted excitedly.

"Just... just you, Karen, Mary, and Elli wait for me on the couches. I'll be out when I'm done."

Claire took her sweet time at it too. Why? She didn't know exactly; she just felt like it. As soon as she finished, another knock came to her door. Muttering under her breath, she headed towards her door then opened it. "Sis, I-"

"Just come in—you and the rest of your party... I know why all of you are here." she waved her hand, inviting them in.

The five boys—Andrew, Rick, Cliff, Gray, and Trent—entered her house. "What's that smell?"

"Hmm?" She inhaled deeply. "Oh, that's—crap, that's my cake!" As fast as she said that, she dashed into the kitchen and retrieved the cake out of the oven. "Ow that smarts!" she exclaimed as she placed the two halves of the cake on the cooling rack. _Make icing when the cakes are cooled._ she reminded herself. She then figured she would gather all her ingredients and utensils for the icing.

Exiting her kitchen, she saw that all of the girls received their cookies. But what specifically caught her attention was that each girl had enough cookies from two people? "Andrew Jack... Player!" she slapped the back of her brother's head.

"Hey!" he complained; luckily the others were too busy talking to notice the siblings bicker, "I'm only being nice!"

"By misleading three out of four of them here? And don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about! You probably gave some to Popuri; am I right to assume that?" He nodded.

"Like I said, sis: only being nice here." he smiled. He studied her gloomy appearance. "Aww, are we uptet about getting no cookies? Have no fear! Your brother is here! Alright, maybe that was a bit corny but here," he handed her some cookies, "for you, my little Clairey."

Ann glanced over at that time at the siblings and pouted when she saw that Claire received cookies from her brother: she was expecting Gray or at least one of the other bachelors (not Cliff, of course) to give her cookies. Actually, it was more like she _wanted _it to happen.

"I'll give you another Gibbs if you continue." she tried to sound threatening to her brother but failed.

"Is that what you call a slap in the back of the head." he commented.

"What? You don't know why?" Claire then gasped, "You haven't seen NCIS?"

"Course I know, sis!" he chuckled, ruffling her bangs. She only rolled her eyes.

"So, Claire," the room went quiet... well, only after Ann flailed her arms to indicate everyone not in the upcoming conversation to be quiet, "what's with the cake?"

"Geez! Can't I even bake a cake? Is there really some law preventing me from baking a cake on this day? Today is no different than any other!" she shot her arms in the air, "First Ann now you, Gray!"

"You don't have to be overprotective over it, Claire. Geez!" Ann barged into the conversation.

"How about we watch something on the television." Andrew quickly changed the subject, trying to ease the tension in the room. "And I know just the thing to put on. Something that my grumpy sister will most definitely enjoy as well as everyone else... at least I hope."

"I'm _not_ grumpy! Whatever gave you that idea!" she practically shouted. "And what makes _you_ think _you_ can up and use _my_ tel-"

"Sit." he commanded as he shoved her onto the couch opposite of the television.

"_Naturally, there are snickers to be heard in the room..._" she muttered to herself.

"Why don't we get Popuri before?" Elli spoke up.

"I doubt she would come... she's too busy today fantasizing about... _Kai_." Rick cringed when he mentioned his name.

"What are we watching anyways, Andrew?" Ann inquired.

"Oh, something that'll make Claire forget what has happened recently." he answered as he placed the DVD in the player. He then walked back towards the couch his sister sat.

"What the heck is that suppose to mean? Forget? That's like saying-" she then grinned when she saw the screen. "Ironically, that was my next episode to watch! I _love_ the episode The Doctor's Wife!" Everyone in the room blushed, except for her brother. "And before you guys start concluding of what it's about and yadda yadda yadda—let me tell you this: it's not one of those sappy stories or anything... though it does get sad at points—you'll see what I mean."

"See? She forgot!" Andrew announced to everyone, earning a glare and a hard nudge from his sister.

"Start it or I will!" Before she could snatch the controller from him, he pushed play.

The farmer's sapphire eyes glanced to her right and met the blacksmith's blue ones. In that brief moment, they had an unspoken conversation concerning the show. Naturally though, a certain innkeeper's daughter witnessed it and smirked to herself.

**Biting's excellent! It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.**

Claire as well as some others chuckled at that.

Further in the episode...

**Bond the tube directly into the tacking diverter.  
**

**Yes. Yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know. I know what I'm doing.  
**

**You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.  
**

**I always read the instructions.  
**

**There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for seven hundred years. What does it say?  
**

**That's not instructions!  
**

**There's an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?  
**

**"Pull to open."  
**

**Yes, and what do you do?  
**

**I push!  
**

**Every single time. Seven hundred years. Police box doors open out the way.  
**

**I think I have earned the right to open my front doors anyway I want.  
**

**Your front doors? Have you any idea how childish that sounds?  
**

**Oh. You are not my mother.  
**

**And you are not my child.**

Everyone in the room either laughed or chuckled. Of course, Claire always laughed at that point.

When the episode finished, everyone in the room grew silent _Probably processing of how awesome it was!_ "What does everyone think of it? By your silence, I'm thinking that you guys enjoyed it? Just haven't picked out the words for it, huh." Claire paused. "Well, I'm going to see if the two halves of my cake are cool enough. Talk amongst yourselves while I prepare the icing and finishing touches on the cake; then we all can have some—cause I'm **not** grumpy!" she stared at her brother at that last part.

She entered her kitchen then checked her two cakes. "Yup! I think I can make the icing now." After she washed her hands, she started on the icing. "_Beat __butter__ till creamy. Then blend in __cream __and vanilla and beat till very smooth. Add cocoa and icing sugar a little at a time, stirring well between additions. Beat on high speed for 45 seconds. Place one layer on a cake plate and frost. Crown with second layer __and frost. Garnish with decorative chocolate swirls._" she read, "...or whatever decorations I feel. Easy as pie! ...even though this is a cake." she chuckled to herself.

While she listen to the chatter going on in her living room, she followed the instructions to the tee. A tall looming figure then appeared in the corner of her eye. She pretended to ignore it, but it soon crossed the line. "Andrew!" she whacked him with her hand. "Get your dirty paws out of the bowl!"

"But sis!"

"No buts!"

"But I wanna help!" he whined.

"You just want to help so that you can have the bowl!" Claire caught on quickly.

"Wellll..."

"Ann!" she shouted, "Come take care of a pest problem here!"

"That's no way to talk about your brother." Andrew pretended to sound hurt.

The ginger entered the kitchen. "What has he done now—oooo! Icing!" she skipped over and stuck her finger in the icing bowl to taste it.

"_**Ann! You're no better than my brother! Go both of you—out!**_"

The living room grew quiet.

"A woman after my own heart." Andrew commented which caused Ann to blush. They both exited the kitchen and received puzzled looks from everyone in the living room.

The blonde farmer grumbled under her breath while she continued to ice the cake, _Honestly, those two... they drive me nuts! But... _she snickered to herself, _they are _so_ perfect for each other! If Ann can't see what Andrew is trying to do... at least I think he's trying to do something, well, then she is as blind as a bat... even though bats can see to some extent... concentrate Claire: ice the cake!_

Finally finishing icing the cake, Claire stood back and admired her work. _Whew! Done! It turned out okay I guess. Time to serve before people whose names shall go unnamed start whining for some cake. _She cut the chocolate cake into ten pieces and served them to her guests or intruders like she called them. Everyone complimented on her cake which then caused her to blush. Comments such as "really good" and "one of the best ever" and "where did you learn to bake?" flooded the room. She definitely wasn't used to the attention, not that she minded much.

Talking continued as everyone ate their piece of cake. Multiple subjects came up, but Claire hardly paid attention. Her mind was elsewhere. Plans for her farm, when to go in the mines, explore—all of these she thought of.

"Well, sis, I think the nine of us here should get going. I know that you still have stuff to do and what not." Turning his attention to the others, he continued, "Well, everyone, let's get going, and I'm not taking no for an answer; I think Claire would appreciate some alone time since we all barged in without being invited." Andrew specifically stared at Ann when he mentioned that last part; he knew the whole idea was Ann's. The ginger wasn't the least bit fazed by the chocolate-haired man.

"Wh-What?" the blonde snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh, Claire." he ruffled her bangs, earning a confused look from his sister, "We all are leaving now. Thanks for putting up with us."

"You're always the spokesman for the group, are you." Claire pointed out. "What, the others don't have voices?"

"That's because I know how to handle you."

"So the others are afraid then."

"Sis, don't make it sound like something which it really isn't. I just do it cause I'm your brother." He then leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You know, if there's something up, you can talk to your older brother here."

"I'm not really sure if I'm entirely ready for that." she muttered low enough for only him to hear, "Besides, there's nothing to tell anyways. What makes you think there is?"

"Call it a hunch." he whispered back. He turned his attention back towards the others. "Alright everyone out!" he opened Claire's door, motioning everyone to leave. Everyone said their good-byes (in their own way) to Claire and thanked her as they exited her house. "Claire, remem-"

"If there's anything I think you should know, I'll be sure to. Now good-bye Andrew." she snapped.

"See ya, Clairey!" he teased. She scowled as he left.

After she slammed her door shut, she flopped back onto her couch. _Oy! That was stressful... though watching my favorite episode made it not to be _that_ much. I just... didn't really wanted company today._

_**Well, you didn't have to be grouchy about it.**_

_You again... was wondering when you'll return._

_**I never left; simply was silent.**_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever..._

Claire's eyes wandered around the room till they caught sight of an object. "What the..." She dragged herself off the couch and walked towards the left bookshelf, almost tripping on the way there. As she picked up the object, her jaw dropped. "Why... why did I get cookies? Nevermind that, who gave me them? They certainly aren't from my brother since I placed them in the cupboards." She examined the cookies to see if the mystery person left a note for her but found none. Her thoughts soon wandered. _I'm _so _not telling Ann...__ she—I wouldn't hear the end of it. Or maybe she's behind this... getting in my head... no, Ann may be many things, but she doesn't purposely lead a person on... at least I don't think she does. No, she would be the kind of person who forces the person to give the cookies by threatening them—if she's even involved. Not risking it though; if she wasn't and I told her, then I would've dug my own grave. Though I wonder who's this from... certainly not Rick or Cliff so that eliminates those two. Trent or Gray... Oy, I hope it's not Trent—that would creep me out... but at the same time I hope it's not Gray either cause... well, dammit, he's rude!_

_**My money's on Gray.**_

_Figures you would say that._

_**Ah, but that means you think that to, remember? You are me and-**_

_I am you. Yeah, so you remind me many times. Now if it's okay with you, I'm storing these and going to get some actual work done._

_**Knock yourself out.**_

Once she stored the mysterious cookies in her kitchen cupboard, she went outside to finally do her chores.

* * *

"Ann, why did you drag me out to this horse race. I don't even have a horse."

"Cause it's fun to watch, Claire. So stop your complaining!"

The blonde farmer slouched in her seat in protest. It was the Spring Horse Race. The ginger-haired waitress had decided to take Claire to the races so that the farmer could take a break from her work. "I could be doing some weeding or _finally_ go to the mines or even explore, but instead, I'm stuck here, watching horses run around in a circle." the farmer muttered under her breath.

"Don't think I didn't here you, cause I did." Ann remarked. The blonde crossed her arms.

The crowd cheered as soon as the gunshot was heard. "Whoopee..." Claire groaned.

"Come on, Claire! This is the last race! At least be a bit more cheerful."

Claire glanced at Ann. She then stood up and jumped up and down. "Go, go, go!" she cheered the horses. "Faster! So I can go home!" Despite Ann's attempt to become upset, she chuckled at Claire.

As soon as the horses crossed the finish line, Mayor Thomas announced, "And it looks like Stardust won the race! This concludes the Spring Horse Race. Though everyone is most welcome to mingle."

"Finally!" Claire sighed in relief. "No matter what you say, Ann, I will _not_ be going to the Fall one. If it's anything like this one, then count me out!"

"We shall see, my dear friend. We shall see." Ann smirked. Claire rolled her eyes in annoyance.

As Ann and Claire made their way out of the tent, they ran into the elderly rancher. "Why hello there Claire!" Barley smiled. His smile for some reason always reminded her of Mr. Stanley.

"Hello, Barley. How's your cows and sheep doing?"

"Oh very well, very well. Thank you for your concern."

"Glad to hear that!" the blonde farmer smiled. "So is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, yes. May and I would like you to come by Yodel Ranch."

"Now?"

"If you are able to; now would be acceptable."

Ann, standing beside Claire, spoke up,"Well, then, I'm going to find Cliff then. See ya later, Claire!"

"Wait, Ann, you can come... can she Barley?"

"I don't see why not."

"That's fine; I have to talk to Cliff anyways." Ann said, blushing at the mention of Cliff. "I'll see you later, Claire." And she went to find Cliff.

When Claire, May, and Barley arrived at Yodel Ranch, the blonde farmer smiled to herself as she saw the cows and sheep grazing on the property. _I need to get one for my farm sometime._ But some other creature soon caught her attention. It was a beautiful brown horse. Its dark brown main flowed gracefully as the wind blew. "Claire, I wanted you to come over because I have a proposition to make to you." Barley began. "Could you by chance take care of this little guy for us? We don't exactly have the room here for him."

"I could take care of him." May piped up.

"Yes, I know May, but he would be much happier if he were to live on a farm such as Claire's; don't you think so?" The little girl nodded. "She has a lot more land to offer to him than we do." He turned his attention back to Claire, "What do you say?"

"Sure! I'll take care of him! And I have a stable for him to rest and such."

"Wonderful! Hear that May?"

"Can I visit him sometimes, Big Sister?" May asked.

"Of course you can! Though I need to name him don't I. Does he have a name yet?" May shook her head. "I know, why don't I call him... Alex. Runner or Speed are too—well, they aren't Alex."

"Alex sounds good!" May smiled. "Don't forget to talk to him and brush him everyday!"

"Don't worry, I won't." Claire smiled then looked at Barley.

"Blacksmith. Saibara sells a brush there."

_Of course... the Blacksmith... figures._ she thought.

"I'll make sure that Alex here gets to your farm alright." the elderly man said.

"Oh no, you don't have to; I can do it right now. It's no problem at all for me." Barley then smiled at her.

Claire thanked Barley and May then waved good bye to them, leading her new horse towards her farm. "Come on, Alex. You're going to have a new home!" He neighed. _Maybe the horse races won't be bad after all... once Alex grows up that is. _she thought,_ I'm still not going to Fall's though... I don't care if Ann threatens, blackmails, or whatever: I'm not sitting through _that_ again._

* * *

The day of the Cooking contest was upon Claire. She had decided when she first heard of it that she would enter it and try to win. Whether she would—that was something Claire didn't know. _As long as I have fun, that's the main thing._

She knew what she had to do: go to Rose Square and listen to this rather chubby man tell everyone what was the theme, go home and create accordingly, then return and prepared to be judged. And that's exactly what she did.

The theme for that year was desserts—something Claire enjoyed making. She made the chocolate cake she had previously made when Ann decided on Spring Thanksgiving to invite herself and everyone else over. Confident in her baking, she sauntered over to Rose Square. She knew that she had plenty of time to get there.

Once she arrived, she placed her dish on the table in front of the Gourmet as he was known as. And not long after, the purple-wearing Gourmet started the judging. She observed the rather larger person, wearing a purple suit and top hat, as he tasted or rather gobbled each dish. _Whoa, he sure packs it away. _she chuckled to herself. _That explains how he's... the shape he is._

She then overheard someone whom she believed was Sasha, "I'm trying to teach Karen how to cook, but it's hopeless! Why does she insist on competing?"

_I take it that Karen isn't good at cooking. Note to self: don't eat any Karen's cooking... though it can't be-_ The Gourmet's face interrupted her thoughts. He had just tasted Karen's black dish. _-nevermind; I take that back: I guess it is _that_ bad._

Before she had a chance to continue her thoughts, the Gourmet came to her dish. "Excellent presentation." he commented. Then he tasted her cake... or rather wolfed it down. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to comprehend on how fast he really ate. "Very good." he said.

Hers was the last dish to be judged. The Gourmet quickly made his decision and chose Ann as the winner. The innkeeper's daughter only blushed while her dad and everyone else congratulated her. "Nice work, Ann. Nice work!" Claire congratulated her.

"Thanks, Claire." The ginger paused a bit. "You coming over to the Inn for celebration? My treat!"

"Nah, I have to do some more chores; don't worry about me: I'll be fine." the blonde smiled.

"Claire, you work too hard; you need to learn how to just chill and hang out. Or you might end up in the Clinic."

"Believe me: I don't intend to go in the Clinic anytime soon—I rather be caught dead than there."

"Oh? And why so?" Ann pried.

"Cause I don't like doctors... well, except for one... but medical doctors—I can't stand them!"

"And Trent?"

"What does he have to do with this?" Claire blinked at the smirking ginger but soon realized, "No, Ann! Whatever you are thinking—just no! He creeps me out!"

"Mmmhmm, yeah suure." She paused. "Well, now that I think more about it, he's not really your type—now Gray: he's _so_ your type."

"Ann!-"

"Don't work too too hard, okay? See ya!" Ann continued then added with a grin, "Clairey!" The ginger then skipped off.

"Leave it to Ann to pick that up from my brother..." Claire muttered to herself.

When the blonde-haired farmer arrived at her farm, she decided to do some more weeding since yet again more weeds sprung up. _Stupid weeds... no matter how much I weed... _Looking at the big stumps and rocks that were _still_ on her field, she sighed. _I really need to stop procrastinating my trip to the mines! I need copper asap!_

Her field was still a disaster, but the debris factor was definitely significantly low. She had a small but substantial patch of crops near her shipping bin which made it easier for her to dump her crops in the-bigger-on-the-inside shipping bin. She still was thrilled at that.

Night quickly came. She then decided to call it quits and headed inside her house to get some sleep. _With Spring almost over... I wonder what Summer will hold for me: that Kai guy apparently comes here during then. It'll be an interesting Summer—that I'm sure on._ Snuggled in her bed, she quickly fell into dream land.

* * *

**Did it seem rushed a bit? I personally think it wasn't... sort of... kind of? Lol!**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless! :D  
Lots happened, didn't it? She got a horse now! Yay for Alex! XD and yes I do name my horse in the game Alex—every time too: why, I haven't a clue: I just like the name XD**

**And yeah, if I hadn't said this before: definitely check out the episode The Doctor's Wife in Doctor Who—I personally love that episode. "_Biting's excellent! It's like kissing. Only there's a winner._" That and many more funny lines are found in it! Lol! (though near the end, I usually tear up a bit; and I never really do as a rule)  
****Oh, and there's another reference but to a completely different show - that show is good too! ^_^ and I personally call it a Gibbs - NCIS never says that it is... not to my knowledge lol!**  


**Oh, and next chappy will be summer! :O lol  
That, I believe, will be an interesting season for Claire... _very_ interesting. (well, I think it is LOL)**

**So, I'll post the next chapter when I'm able to. Oh, and I usually give updates on my writing on my profile if you want to see where I am at at writing or whatever—it's up to you! ^_^  
Till next time—enjoy... uh... enjoy, enjoy the rest of your day or whatever (depending when you read this LOL) XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**It's summer time! Yup! You read correctly!  
FINALLY right? Haha! XD**

**Okay, not sure if I got Kai down or not lol! Idk, but he was sort of... hard to write, but I tried! :)  
And thanks to those who have reviewed so far! :) I really appreciate it! :D  
Please enjoy this chapter! :D  
**

* * *

Sitting on the beach, Claire stared out into the ocean. The waves lapped at the shore as her dog Akira walked along the shore line, back and forth. Both seemed to be in deep thought.

It was Beach Day—a day for hanging around the beach and participating in a swimming race and a Frisbee throw. The blonde-haired farmer decided to arrive at the beach early, really early. Why? She just wanted to be alone and be able to enjoy the ocean to herself. And she got to for awhile till a certain purple-bandana-wearing person decided to disturb her little _alone_ time.

"So you're Claire." he said as he sat rather close to her: too close for her comfort, "Nobody told me that the new girl was cute, quite cute!" he flirted as he looked at her. She slightly blushed as she continued staring off into the ocean.

Akira made her way towards her mistress.

"And you must be Kai." she stated, eyes fixated still on the ocean. "I'll say this: your reputation perceives you."

"Oh? What may that be?"

"Being the town's flirt."

The tanned man paused slightly before responding, "Success?"

Claire stifled a laugh, "Let's just say I've met men who would put you to shame." Akira nudged her head against her mistress's hand, staring at Kai. "It's alright, girl." she patted her dog's head.

"Your dog ain't going to attack, right?" Kai nervously asked, "Cause she's giving the look."

"What? That look?" she motioned towards Akira's facial expression, "Nah, she's just checking you out; don't worry about her. You're fine." She paused a bit before continuing, "So, besides angering every male in this town, what else do you do?"

To that, Kai chuckled, "Believe it or not I run a little restaurant here—right over there." he pointed at the white wooden building beside Zack's place.

"_Really!_" Claire purposely remarked dramatically.

"Really." he echoed, "I call it the Seaside Lodge. You can find me there the majority of times." he winked.

"And why would I be looking for you?" she cocked her head at him.

"Cause I'm irresistible and fun to hang out with." He moved closer to Claire's face, much to her discomfort. Deep down though, she knew that he was different from all the other flirtatious guys she had met in the past.

"Kai, what the hell do you think you're doing with my sister?" an angry voice boomed causing Kai to jump.

"Relax, Andrew. He's harmless." the blonde interceded.

"Yeah, Andrew. He's harmless." Kai repeated.

"Listen to me, young lady-"

"No, _you_ listen!" she exploded, "I can hang out with whomever I want to; I've spent the last eight years—the _eight_ years that _you_ weren't around—around men a hell of a lot worse than Kai here. _You _have no business dictating whom I can or can't hang out around here! If I want to hang out with Kai, I can dam well do so!" She took a deep breath then continued, "And for the record, if he was really a threat to my well being, Akria would've done something by now; she's good that way."

"Sis-"

"Save it! I'm in no mood right now." She stood up, dusted the sand off her bare legs, and grabbed her flip flops which were beside her. "Akira! Come on, girl. We're going to the dock." Glancing over to her brother, "And I _don't_ want to be disturbed!" Claire made her way towards the dock with Akira following close by.

Once Andrew knew Claire was out of hearing range, he crossed his arms as he turned his attention towards Kai. "I better not catch you with my sister again!"

"Chill, man! I get enough trouble from Rick as it is. You're starting to sound just like him; and I don't think you want _that_ comparison, dude."

"I'm just saying if you _dare_ touch-"

"I won't; I won't, but that doesn't mean I'll stop seeing her from time to time. Your sister—she's different... and drop dead gorgeous, if I say so myself! She seems cool." Kai commented.

"Kai, I swear-"

"Dude, you need to relax for a minute and open your eyes." Andrew gave him a puzzled look. "Look, do you see Trent and Gray?" he motioned towards their way.

"Yeah, but what the hell do they have to do with you?"

"Not me; your sister: they are _both_ staring at her direction. Though Gray is trying to be inconspicuous about it, but he's failing miserably... to some extent. Others may look at him and not see it, but me—I know him. If I viewed Claire in _that_ kind of way," he rubbed his chin, "she would already be in my hands-"

"Kai!-" he growled

"Dude, my point: if you want to protect your sister, I would be starting here first; don't worry about me." He paused. "Besides, I have someone else in mind anyways..." he trailed off.

Processing what Kai had just said, Andrew blinked. Whether or not Kai was telling the truth... he didn't know. "Kai..." he started off but quickly lost original thought, "You think Gray and Trent has a thing for my sister?"

"No, I _know_ they do. I've seen it all, Andrew: all the signs are there; I may have been here only for a few days now, but believe me, I caught on quick."

"Even Gray? Cause they aren't exactly best friends."

Kai nodded, "Even him; and by what I've heard and what you just told me further proves it."

"So let me get this straight: Gray not getting along with my sister means he likes her?"

"Even more so. Think of it this way: have you even known Gray to be someone who just talks to anyone?"

"No, he hardly talks, well maybe except for us; and when he does talk to other people, it's usually short or not at all."

"Exactly my point! Dude! I know when a guy likes a girl! It's my area of expertise!"

"And you got that all from watching them from here."

"Not all of it; I've heard stuff. It really doesn't take much to figure it out. I'm surprised you haven't put two and two together."

Andrew processed what the tanned traveler told him and quickly realized something. "Kai, are you trying to get my off your scent? Cause-"

"Dude, seriously? I'm telling the truth here: if you don't believe me, then, with your permission, I'll go and sit beside Claire and do what I do best-" Andrew glared at him. "Hang on, nothing will happen—while I do that, watch Trent and Gray, specifically Trent though: Gray knows me and is one of the few that doesn't mind me too much... I think... pretty sure though; but Trent—I know the guy hates my guts. Just watch Trent's reaction... so, can I prove it to you?"

"Fine, but the min-"

"Like I said, nothing bad will happen: trust me." he winked.

"You're asking me to do the impossible, Kai."

"You won't be let down, Andrew." Kai hollered out as he headed towards the dock.

Andrew ran his hand though his dark brown hair in frustration. "He better be dam right about this," he muttered under his breath, "and not using this as an excuse-" He watched the doctor's uncomfortable demeanor as Kai did what he normally does with a woman—flirts, Kai style. His eyes then turned to Gray who was watching the dock carefully but his stance remained the same.

"Well, what do you know: Kai's right. What to do from here—I haven't a clue; it's not like there's a manual on this stuff. I guess keep an eye on those two for now; Claire can hate me all she wants to—that's not going to change my role as a big brother... it's the least I can do for not being there for her all those years..." he spoke to himself.

"Andrew, who are you talking to?" Ann inquired. Course, she happened to overhear; this was Ann after all. "And why, for that matter, are you allowing Kai around your sister—I thought-"

"Ann, it's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it for me then." she folded her arms, waiting for an explanation.

He looked at Ann then to the long brown-haired man beside her. "Why don't you and Cliff go do something and leave me alone." he muttered.

"Fine! We'll do just that! Come on, Cliff." Dragging a confused Cliff, she stormed off to go mingle with people who weren't "the grouchy Andrew."

As he watched the two leave, he sighed heavily. He wished with all his heart that he had the courage to tell Ann how he really felt about her; but for some reason, he never could. Maybe he was indeed a coward.

But even if he did work up the courage to tell her, she was with Cliff. And in his mind, there wasn't much he could do about it. But as long as Ann was happy, he could somehow be happy for her... or at least try.

Kai soon returned. "So?"

"You were right, Kai." Andrew stared off in the distance.

"Of course I was!" Kai observed the somewhat distant and depressed man, "Now about you and Ann..."

"Kai, I don't need advice from you." Andrew protested of what he knew would come. He certainly didn't want any love advice from Kai.

"Clearly you do since you have allowed the new guy to have her."

"It's not like I wanted it to happen! Ann's the one who went after him."

"And you just allowed it? Dude, I know how much you're crazy about her."

"So? Is it any of your dam business?"

"It is when it sends a negative vibe in the same room I'm sleeping in; and I need my beauty sleep. You don't get this handsome without taking care of yourself!" Andrew rolled his eyes. "And don't think I haven't noticed how you glare at Cliff when he's not looking."

"Kai, why don't you bug someone else."

"Alright. I'll go see if Claire would like to join me for lunch tomorrow." Kai commented nonchalantly as he slowly headed towards her location.

"No wait!" Andrew grabbed his arm before Kai could get far. "Say what you have to say." he remarked as he let go of Kai's arm.

"I don't think Cliff likes Ann in that way." Kai stated as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Yeah, well what do you—wait, what?" he blinked. Confusion was very apparent on his face.

"Dude, you heard me."

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Andrew," Kai gave a friendly slap on his back, "sooner or later, you'll notice, man."

"Kai, so help me if you're wrong-"

"Let us now begin the swimming contest!" the mayor loudly announced to everyone. "Anyone who wishes to participate in it, please get ready."

"My cue to go." Kai stated. "See ya at the finish line!" The overly friendly guy shouted as he scurried off, leaving Andrew confused and speechless.

His mind wandered to two scenarios. If Kai was right, then he figured that he had a shot with Ann; but if Kai was wrong, he didn't know what he would do exactly. He desperately hoped that Kai was right. Hoping that Kai was right—that was something new to him; something that he wasn't planning on getting used to.

Claire, out of nowhere, appeared in front of him, Akira being close by. "Cat caught your tongue?" She received no answer from him. "Look," she continued, playing with her ponytail, "I'll make you a deal: win the swimming contest, and... I'll do as you say." He stared at her then blinked; he blinked again and again, trying to process what she just said to him. Had he been transported to a parallel universe? "Andrew, are you alright? You look a bit... not there."

"N-No, I-I'm... I'm fine." he managed to speak out. "It's just.. what Kai said and what you just said... it's one of those days." he sighed out the last part.

"Kai?" She scrunched her face in confusion then quickly shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you better get ready for the race; and you better beat Kai."

He blinked again. Scratching his head, he spoke up, "Claire, I'm not understanding something; first you exploded at me and now you come up to me and say that you want me to win? …and if I do... Claire you aren't making any sense to me."

"Dammit." she muttered under her breath, knowing full well she had to admit she was wrong, "Andrew, I had some time to think at the dock and let's just say... look, I don't want you to go all Rick on me but at the same time... Gah! I don't know what I'm trying to say."

"I think I understand, sis."

"But there's more... maybe not exactly what you want to hear.." the blonde shifted her feet while finding the sand interesting, "I... kind of? made a bet with... Gray..."

"What?" he raised his eyebrow.

"I don't even remember how the hell it happened, but one minute we were arguing and the next we... were still arguing but who would win... it all went quite fast... and he seemed to think that Kai would... and well—dammit! I wasn't going to let him win!"

"And so you just decided to place down money... on me of all people."

"Yeah... but the thing is I _know_ you can win; he might have told me that Kai usually wins, even when you arrived; but I _know_ it's because you didn't do your absolute best. You need to... just do this one thing for me, please? I'll even give the money to you."

"Claire, sis, it seems like you're doing everything you can to prove him wrong... is there something that I should know?"

The farmer crossed her arms. "Andrew, if you thinking what I think you're thinking—don't: you're _way_ off. Just go quickly before the race starts without you." she said as she shoved him in the general direction. He only chuckled to himself.

The race soon began when all participants were ready. Kai, first, was in the lead which wasn't a surprise to anyone. It looked like he would win till, out of nowhere, a dark-brown-haired figure emerged from underwater and slapped the rock seconds before Kai could. It was close—quite close, and no one at the beach knew who won. "And the winner is... by mere seconds... Andrew!" Rick shouted from the rock he was standing on. He was relieved that he didn't have to say Kai's name again that year.

That just made Claire's day. She skipped over to the grumpy blacksmith apprentice and gave him a devilish grin. Reluctantly, he paid her what he owed while muttering under his breath.

Then next few hours were spent either eating or talking since more people were expected to come to the beach. Yeah, people watched the swimming contest, but the main event was the Frisbee tournament. Everyone simply adored watching the dogs catch the Frisbee.

The rules were simple: the dog catching the farthest Frisbee would win.

The blonde farmer though had no intention of entering her dog in the competition. She simply was content sitting in the sand observing the people around her as well as the gentle waves the ocean produced. But like usual, someone _had_ to interrupt her though it wasn't the flirtatious man she had met earlier. This figure wore a heavy tanned outfit—an outfit not exactly summer-friendly. "Aren't you going to enter that-"

"Gray, so help me if you say _mutt_, I _**will**_ snatch that stupid hat of yours and throw it as far as I can into the ocean; and don't think I'm kidding." He scowled at her. "And to answer your question—no."

"Why? 'fraid you're gonna to lose?" he sat next to her.

"No." she stared out into the ocean.

"Then you're entering?"

"No!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Why the hell you care?" she snapped as she glared at him. He grew silent as he pulled down his hat, hiding his face. _Stupid hat of his... I can never tell what's he thinking... not that I care or even want to know..._ "If you _must_ know, I'm not entering cause my dog would have an advantage over the competition; it wouldn't be fair."

"Aren't you being a little-"

"No I'm not!" she almost yelled. "It's the truth! This dog of mine," she motioned towards Akira who then perked her ears up, "she's like... _human_; she is highly intelligent for a dog. Why would I enter her in a competition when I know she doesn't have to? She's proven her keep to me countless of times. And bottom line, if I don't want to enter her, there's is no dam law saying that I have to. And it's certainly none of your dam business."

"Whatever you say, blondie." he muttered to himself but loud enough for her to hear. She viciously gripped the sand beside her while gritting her teeth. She absolutely _hated_ that nickname and always had. Right then and there she wanted to deck him, but she restrained herself from doing so. Why? Cause Kai had decided to grace them with his presence.

"Yo! Whatcha two doing?" he smirked.

"Nothing, Kai! Nothing at all! So, whatever you're thinking—stop!" Gray snapped.

"Dude! Geez, take it easy. It was just a question. No need to get all _protective_." he teased; Gray only glared at him. Kai, turning his attention to Claire, continued talking, "So, is _Prince Charming_ here treating you well?"

"I wouldn't call him a _prince_ and he's hardly _charming_."

"And I wouldn't exactly call _you_ a princess."

"I can act like one when I want to, you know! I just chose not to most of the times!"

"And I can be charming when I choose to be!"

"Ha! You? Charming?" the blonde snorted, "As much as a brick wall perhaps."

"Ya know, you two sure argue like a married couple; it's... interesting." Kai nonchalantly commented, interrupting the conversation and Gray's attempt of a comeback. He found the whole situation amusing.

They both shot menacing glares at him. If looks could kill, he would've been dead _long_ ago in the most _brutal_ way possible. "Shut the hell up, Kai!" They both shouted at the same time. A small, unnoticeable blush crept on Claire's face while Gray, like usual, covered his face with his hat.

"What?" he innocently asked, "It's true! You two would make a good couple-"

"Kai!"

"You're both alike in many ways-"

"Kai!"

"And you both-"

"Dammit, Kai!" Gray shot up from sitting, "If you value your breathing and wanna make it to the next day, I suggest you to stop!. Don't forget: I _know_ where you sleep!"

Kai only gave the stupidest grin.

Standing up, Claire brushed the sand off her legs. "I need to go now. So I'll see you two whenever." she calmly stated, much to the surprise of the two men near her who had expected her to go all G.I. Jane. She approached Kai then whispered in his ear. "You _don't_ want to be on my bad side: and if you continue with this nonsense, let's just say the only thing which will remain of you will be when people observe the sudden high quality of my crops." And with that she, along with Akira, left the terrified Kai and still confused Gray by themselves all while evilly grinning to herself.

"The nerve of him..." she muttered as she walked towards her farm. He definitely wasn't what she had expected him to be. She then chuckled to herself. "First impressions of him—he has a death wish! Definitely will be calling my two friends tonight."

When she had just arrived at her farm, she noticed a figure in the distance running towards her. "Sis!" It was her brother.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you leave?" he asked while trying to catch his breath. "I had expected you to enter the tournament."

"Didn't really feel like sticking around." she shrugged her shoulders, "What'd you want anyways?"

"Came to check on my lil' sis, if that's okay with you." She rolled her eyes. "That and... what did you say to Kai? Cause whatever you said to him, he hasn't been the same. It's quite comical actually."

"Just warned him that's all." Her brother gave her a elaborate-please look. "It was only because of his stupid comment about Gray and myself... of being a good _couple_" She almost spat that word out. "As if _that_ would ever happen. Gah!" she realized, "I really hope he doesn't team up with Ann; those two as an alliance would be... catastrophic!" He chuckled at that.

"Oh Claire. My sweet naïve Clairey."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" the sweet blonde exclaimed.

"Nevermind... So, speaking of Kai-"

"Oh, don't worry: I'm not even sure if I want to hang out with him. He's friendly, overly too friendly yet harmless, but after what he said... I want to break every bone of his body." she clenched her fists.

"You don't even allow me to finish. What I was _going_ to say was—you don't have to keep your promise. I know I-"

"Andrew, can we _not_ dwell on what happened today?" she interrupted him yet again, "We already got passed that..." A brief silence befell them. "I have to do some chores now; so if you want to help, stay; if not, then I'll see you some other time."

"I'll leave you to your work then." he said as he ruffled her bangs. "Bye lil' sis!"

"Bye." she blew her bangs.

Turning towards her field, she marched over to her watering can she had left near the shipping bin that morning. She picked it up then started to water her seedlings. After that, she entered her house to grab her rucksack since she didn't have it with her.

Once she had her rucksack, she headed towards her chicken coop to check on her chicken. "Hello, Alice! You look good today!" the blonde chirped when she opened the coop. The hen clucked in response.

She placed some chicken feed in Alice's feed box then gathered the egg. Finished in the chicken coop, she exited and headed towards her stable where her horse, Alex resided. "Hey, boy! You look bigger and stronger everyday!" She took the brush out of her rucksack and started brushing her brown horse. "I bet you can't wait to explore these parts!" He neighed in response. Once she was sure Alex's coat was to her satisfaction, she put away the brush back in her rucksack and made sure he had enough food.

Exiting the stable, she sighed at her field. _Stupid enormous rocks! And stumps! And-_ Her thoughts were interrupted when Akira came running towards her, carrying an object. "Akira, what do you-" noticing what she was holding in her mouth, she continued, "Akira! Bad dog!" The blonde tried to sound serious but couldn't though her laughter. She knelt down and grabbed the object out of her dog's mouth, "You funny dog! Stealing a Frisbee... I'm sure you're what everyone's talking about at the beach now." she laughed.

"Okay, girl!" Claire exclaimed as she stood up. Winding her arm back, she threw the Frisbee, "Go get it!" She watched as Akira ran after the Frisbee. "Whoa! I don't know my own strength!" she commented. The blonde-haired farmer then saw Akira gracefully leap up, catching the Frisbee with ease. "That dog totally would've dominated the tournament!" she laughed to herself.

Since she was done with her farm work, Claire decided to sit under her apple tree located relatively near her shipping bin. "Akira! Apple tree! I'm heading towards there." the blonde yelled as she headed towards her tree. Akira perked her ears up and followed her mistress.

Sitting against the tree, Claire began to ponder again, but her eyes soon closed, drifting off into dreamland.

The blonde-haired farmer woke up to her dog nudging her with an object. "Not now, Akira!" she mumbled, eyes partly open, "I don't want to throw the Frisbee right now." Her dog again nudged her. "Akira! I said-" Her eyes fully were open now and to her horror, and dismay, she saw what the object really was. "Akira!" she groaned, "Not again!" She quickly stood up.

Just like she predicated, _he_ came storming onto her farm. _Talk about déjà vu... _Before she had a clear view of him, she hid the hat behind her back.

"That dam mu-" he noticed her glaring, "-dog of yours stole my hat again!"

"Now how did she managed do that, again? You barely take if off as it is." she teased.

"That dog is smart, too dam smart; now gimme back my hat!"

"Ha! You admit that she's intelligent!" The blacksmith glared at her. Ignoring his glare, she continued, "What makes you think _I _have it anyways?"

"She's your dog! Who else would have it?" he yelled.

"Yeah, she's a dog... meaning that dogs dig—dogs bury stuff; so there's no guarantee that I even have it."

"I _see_ it _behind_ you! Now give it back!"

"What this ol' thing?" She waved the _object_ in front of him, taunting him with it. He tried snatching his precious hat from her but she was too quick. "Ooo! Aren't we getting a bit gutsy around my dog... my dog whose quite capable of biting you... not that she would: she seems to like you a lot." She laughed, "Yet on Spring Thanksgiving you scurried up my apple tree, afraid for your life of her! That still cracks me up!"

"Dammit, Woman! I just want my hat, not a conversation!" His patience was growing _very_ thin.

"You're not getting it back till you ask nicely... or at least say _please_." she stated calmly.

The hatless Gray ran his hands through his strawberry blonde hair in frustration. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he glared at the grass wishing somehow the earth would swallow up the blonde-haired farmer. He smirked at the thought of it.

As she waited for the blacksmith to respond or rather blow up, she fiddled with his hat. "Ya know, I may keep this for Akira; she seems to like it. Besides, your hair—Gray?"

He came close to her, a lot closer than she expected. His blue eyes met her sapphire ones as only inches separated their faces. "_Please_, Claire, give me my dam hat back."

She blinked then shoved his hat into his chest. Quickly, she sidestepped around her tree, absolutely dumbfounded at what had just happened. There was no way she had predicated that. Again, he had done something that completely caught her off guard. She was expecting him to explode then snatch his hat out of her hands, but she was way off on that one... again.

"I-I didn't want your stupid h-hat anyways!" the blonde exclaimed, still in some state of shock.

He placed his precious hat back on it's rightful place. "_Thank you,_ blondie."

She gritted her teeth hard while clenching her fists, "Oh, go rot in a hole..." But he had already left.

She then glared at her dog who was sitting and looking up at her. "Akira..." the blonde shook her head, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you..." Akira only barked.

* * *

**How did you like it? ...who am I kidding: it's not like people actually read the junk I write.. :/ lol! JK!  
Lol, ignore that^ up there xD  
Stay tuned! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Finally got this chapter done! I don't know why I had a hard time with this one; near the end I had to fight with... and it didn't help when I kept on getting distracted by the tunes I listen to (especially coming to an epic part lol) or by other stuff like "Oh, I wonder..." then I go on google LOL! I sometimes have an attention span of a squirrel XP  
But I managed to get through it! Ha! I won this time! lol**

**So, more Kai here: not sure if I have him down or not; but I can totally picture him doing the stuff he does in the chapter.  
Oh, and another a slight reference. :P (cause I can ^_^)  
**

**I would like to thank those who are reading this and those who review as well - words can't describe how happy you people make me! :') Thank you! Hope you enjoy future chapters!  
**

**Okay, now for the chappy! Enjoy! :D  
**

* * *

"Anything?"

"Not one word."

"I know what I saw, Ann."

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, Kai. It's just... I don't understand. Two weeks since _it_ happened—and _nothing_ has been said!" the innkeeper's daughter flailed her arms to emphasize her frustration, "Ya think I would've heard something by now from your room where _he_ stays! Even _she_ hasn't said anything! And we tell each other everything!"

"What'd you mean from _my_ room?" He placed his fork down.

"Not the point, Kai! Point is _nothing_ has been said, and I don't like not knowing the details! For crying out loud! How the hell am I suppose to know _everything_ when I don't _know_ everything!" The ginger then snatched the tanned traveler's plate away.

"Yo! I wasn't done!"

"You are now!" Ann snapped as she stormed into the back of the Inn where the kitchen was. Not bothering to scrape off the food, she threw the plate in the sink. "Gah! Why-" A hand touched her on her shoulder causing her to jump. She whirled around to find out who had dared to disturb her. "What the hell Andrew? Don't scare me like that! You're trying to make my heart stop?" she shouted.

"Not in the dead kind of way." he teased which caused her to blush slightly. "What's got you so riled up anyways?"

"Your sister." she folded her arms over her chest.

"What did she do now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing! That's the thing: absolutely nothing!"

"Then what's-"

"She hasn't said anything to me! Two weeks! And nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing!" she slammed her fist onto the kitchen counter at the word _nothing_, emphasizing her frustration .

"But I've seen you with her tal-"

But he couldn't finish his sentence since the frustrated ginger had stormed out of the kitchen.

She angrily grabbed a cloth then started wiping down the bar counter for invisible stains. "Ann?" Kai still was sitting in front of the counter.

"What now Kai?" she snapped. "Don't ya have to be somewhere?"

"Ya know, you're pretty cute when your mad." he winked. "Wanna go to the beach later?"

She stopped her task and glared at him. "Seriously, Kai? You _know_ that doesn't work on me! Why do you always have to be... Kai?" she raised her voice.

"What? Handsome, charming, and irresistible?" Ann rolled her eyes. "Can't change who I am Annie! Besides, I _know_ my charms work on _you_. I see it in your face." he smirked, leaning closer to her. "So stop pretending." She wanted to smack in the face so badly—preferably with a frying pan which, to her disappointment, was no where near her. She made a mental note to have a frying pan near the bar at all times.

But for some reason though she couldn't do anything, even slap him. All she could do was blush.

"Kai! Get the hell away from her! I'm sure she doesn't appreciate her personal space being invaded!" Andrew yelled as he came out of the kitchen. That, in turn, made Kai jump away from Ann.

"If she did, I didn't hear her complain. Isn't that right, Annie?"

The ginger soon snapped out of her daze. Grabbing the closest object which was the cloth near her hands, she threw it at the tanned traveler. "Get out, Kai!" she angrily pointed to the exit.

"Really? A cloth? That's the best you can throw? Ow." he feigned pain in his arm dramatically, "That really hurt, Annie!"

As soon as he uttered his last syllable, another object was thrown at him. This time, the object was a lot heavier than a simple cloth. "And **don't** call me _Annie_!" the ginger's voice followed.

"Ow, Ann! Now _that_ really hurt!" Kai exclaimed while rubbing his arm.

"You heard her, Kai. Get out, or I'll personally throw you out." Andrew glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright, man! I'll go! I was already planning to head to the library anyways."

"_You?_ A _library?_" the waitress raised an eyebrow. She then laughed and pointed at him, almost toppling over the counter.

"Laugh all you want, but I too occasionally like the odd books! Like the challenging ones." he rubbed his chin.

"A challenge such as _Mary_?" she managed to breath out, still trying to stifle some giggles.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a challenge: more like a blossom ready to be picked." Both Andrew and Ann rolled their eyes: Kai did say the strangest things at times. The tanned traveler started heading towards the exit. "Bye... Annie." And he quickly dashed out of the Inn, leaving a quite angry ginger.

* * *

Deep within the dark, gloomy mine located near the hot springs and waterfall, a certain blonde-haired farmer hammered away.

"What in the—eww! It's gross to touch! What kind of crap is in this mine?"

**Smack**

"What the—nothing? What sort of crazed mine is this?"

**Smash**

"What the hell?" The blonde-haired farmer picked up the object. Observing it near her light, she continued, "This ain't copper! That's silver! What is with this dam island?" she yelled.

She picked up her hammer again and continued to smash rocks. She had _finally—_after putting it off for about a season—_finally_ she had decided to go to the mines for some ores. And she was determined to find a copper ore in particular in order to upgrade her hammer. She just couldn't stand to look at the enormous rocks and stumps in her field anymore. It sometimes made her cry.

**Smack**

"What the hell is this blue crap? It's pretty," she held it closer to her light, "but _it's not what I'm looking for!_"

**Smash**

"**What the hell? First silver? Now gold? I thought this was a dam copper mine!**"

"For somebody who claims to like acting like a _princess _once in awhile_—_you sure don't have the mouth of one." Claire, hearing a voice whom she recognized, grabbed a rock and threw it at the direction of the voice, hoping to hit the figure. Unfortunately to her, the figure ducked. "What the hell, woman? Are you trying to kill me?"

"Serves you right for stalking, stalker!"

"I was not stalking!"

"What the hell are you doing here then?" she yelled, shining the light on the figure with the _UMA_ hat on.

"In case you haven't notice, blondie, I'm carrying a hammer. Figure it out."

"Call me _blondie_ one more time, and you'll soon feel the impact of _my_ hammer!"

"Whatever _blondie_." he emphasized the word _blondie_, "It's not like you would anyways; you don't have it in you."

She clenched her fists together, trying not to give in to her desire to waltz right over to the blacksmith and deck him. "Gray, I wouldn't push you're luck with a very confused, irritated, angry woman right now! Especially one who enjoys her action flicks more than the sappy dramas out there—so _don't_ think for a _second_ that I won't!" She turned back around, grabbed her hammer again, and continued smashing rocks while he, being a bit confused, began to mine.

**Smack**

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with this place!" she threw her hammer onto the ground. "And what the hell is this... whitish—whatever thing? This is impossible! Silver? Gold? What next? Diamonds?" she shouted.

"Actually, diamonds are found in the winter mine as well as rubies, emeralds, and other gemstones." he said matter-of-factly after he also smashed a rock.

"Don't play jokes on me now Gray! I'm in no mood!"

Stopping, he stared right her even though it was dim. "I'm not."

The blonde-haired farmer paused. Shining her light on him again, she saw that his face was quite serious. "You're serious?" He nodded. "**What the hell!**" she flailed her free arm,** "You think the mainland would've notice this! I don't care if one grew up here! It's not normal!**"

"You get use to it." he shrugged his shoulder.

"Is that all you have to say? Seriously?" She paused for a minute to gather her thoughts. _The mine is a freak of nature!_ she thought to herself. But then she thought about all the other strange things she had encountered while living in Mineral Town. There was the abnormally fast growth of crops and another dimension aka bigger-on-the-inside stuff. Those stuff she didn't freak out a bit... well, not the way she was currently doing. Those stuff still freaked her out but in a way a geek would if they met an actor from a TV show. Then it hit her.

Calming down a bit, she spoke up, "You know, when I think about it, this reminds me too much of _Journey_."

"Journey?" he stopped in mid-swing.

"What the—you people—Gah! Where's this town's taste? Have any of you seen _any_ sci-fi? _Journey to the Center of the Earth_! That's a movie—sci-fi movie! You people are fortunate that I came so that I can educate you people in the finer arts!"

He leaned on his hammer. "Aren't we getting stuck on ourselves."

"Shut up, Gray! I don't need it."

She then continued smashing the rocks to find that one copper ore. While she did that, Gray continued to smash some rocks as well. It was relatively quiet between them; neither one of them had the desire to talk. Finally, after much smashing and cursing, the farmer found one. "You think that copper would've been easier to find, but nooo!"

"Claire?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Why are you here in the mines anyways?"

She blinked and blinked again. "That must be the dumbest question I have ever heard in my whole existence! I'm here picking apples and sniffing das—what do you think I'm doing?" she shouted, "If anybody is going to ask that it would be me! You never did tell me _exactly_ why _you're_ here. Aren't you suppose to be getting yelled at by Saibara?"

"Surprisingly, no. He's the one who sent me here. Which by the way, I'm glad he did, but of course that's before I knew that _you_ were here."

"Well back atcha! Of all the days I picked, it would have to be the one that your grandpa sends you here. What the—that can't be a coincidence, could it? Dammit! Maybe that's why I've been getting the funny look lately... or maybe not, hell, I don't know; forget I even said anything!" she threw her arms up in frustration. "I'm tired and wanna go home... or I should say gonna."

"You've been getting a funny look from people too?" he stopped to look at her, but since it was dim he couldn't really see her well.

"What? What do you mean? Why would you be getting the funny look? I'm the crazy one here!" He smirked. "...ignore that last comment."

"I'll try, but no promises."

"Don't make me throw another rock at you!" the blonde scowled. "Now why—_why _would people act strangely... well, more than usual that is." she mumbled as she started gathering her things; it was loud enough for Gray to hear.

"Don't ask me, but I have noticed that people here haven't been the same since-"

"A few days after Beach Day." she finished his sentence, realizing the same thing.

"Yeah."

"What the hell do people think we did?" she shouted yet again, "We haven't broken any laws! And I'm sure you haven't murdered anyone; though if I stay down here long enough with you, I might not be able to say the same thing."

"Claire—gah!—you're more like Ann than you know it!"

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. But, me being the bigger person here, I'll take it as a compliment and end this conversation civilly. Good day! And I hope the rocks fall on you!"

"Likewise!" he snapped. As she was heading towards the mine's exit, he thought maybe asking her one more thing, "Claire?"

"What the hell do you want now!"

"Aren't we snappy today!"

She threw an object at him but missed again, much to her disappointment. "You're not exactly the most pleasant either!" she hollered back.

Picking up the whitish object she had thrown, Gray smirked, "Thanks blondie! That's what I wanted to ask you for!"

"Rot there for all I care!" she yelled back, her voice becoming quieter to him as she made her way out of the mine.

Once she entered her house, she then slammed her door shut. She placed the copper, sliver, gold, and "the blue crap" onto one of her bookshelves. She would deal with those later.

Sighing, she flopped onto the nearest couch and decided to see what was on TV. _What the hell am I doing? Flipping through the channels... the _four_ channels this backward town has—no wonder they haven't really heard of sci-fi or any of the good stuff. Just whatever crap is shown here._ Deciding to watch one of her DVDs, she prepared her player then, once done, flopped back on the couch to watch the television.

Her stomach began to growl after a few hours of watching TV had passed. Since she didn't want to cook and dirty some dishes, she decided that she would have her meal at the Inn. She hopped off the couch and then looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair, for the most part, was surprisingly tidy in her pony tail; but at the same time, many strands were hanging in her face. _Don't matter... people know that I work hard. Can't always look pretty; the curse of a farmer._ She grinned at the last part. Exiting her house, she started her trek towards the Inn.

"Claire." Ann dryly greeted the blonde as she entered the Inn.

"Hey, Ann! How's it going? Done planning Cliff's birthday tomorrow?" Much to Claire's surprise, the ginger remained quiet while clearing a table. "Ann? You okay? You seem... not Ann-like. Where's that bubbly Ann that I know?" the blonde teased. Done with gathering dishes off a table, the waitress headed towards the bar, Claire following close by. "Oh my goodness! What did my brother do now? If he's not... I can have a looong-"

"It's has nothing to do with your brother, Claire." Ann finally spoke up as she placed the dishes on the counter. Looking at her friend, she continued, "It's... Dammit Claire! Why didn't you tell me! I waited two weeks for you to say something! Why didn't you tell me that you and that certain blacksmith apprentice shared a liplock?"

"**What?**" Claire stumbled back trying to catch her breath. She couldn't believe what Ann had said. "What the hell is going through your head, Ann? And _where_ did you even hear such-a ridiculous thing? That would _never_ happen!"

"The _whole_ town knows that you did! And, well, Kai-"

"Kai?" the blonde shouted, "Kai! Well, _that_ explains everything! Who the hell-"

"Claire!" a voice out of nowhere came closer to the two women.

Before the owner of the voice could continue, the blonde cut in, "Ya, I know!" she said turning around to face the person. She then turned back to Ann who by then was crossing her arms, "Where the hell is that idiot?"

"Probably at his restaurant." Ann said dryly.

"And the last place he'll be once I'm done with him."

"Correction: once _we're_ done with him. You're not going to get all the fun here Gray!"

He smirked, "Fine, then let's get going."

"Way ahead of ya!" Claire called back from the exit of the Inn. She was all too eager to teach Kai a lesson.

The two of them, now in a temporary alliance, exited the Inn, leaving a blinking ginger. "They _so_ have the hots for each other." Ann mumbled to herself as she carried the dishes into the back room where the kitchen was. "They just can't see that. Maybe..." A devious grin appeared on her face. "Ann you are without a doubt a genius."

As Claire and Gray were walking or rather storming towards the beach, each of them discussed methods of torturing "the idiot in the purple bandana." One would think that the two were plotting a murder of someone, the way they were carrying on. But of course they had to argue what method would be the best. Claire favored the idea of leaving him out in a shark tank and watch him squirm as sharks approach, but Gray wanted to bury him in sand up to his head and just leave him.

By the time they reached the beach though, they agreed just to wing it since neither of them had a shark tank and it would take too long to bury him in the sand. "Where the hell is that purple bandana freak?" the blonde-haired farmer scowled.

"Hey! I'm no freak!" the tanned traveler exited his restaurant, "Quite the opposite actually. And what's wrong with my bandana? Bandanas are cool!"

The fact that he said that bandanas are cool made here all the angrier; bandanas certainly weren't bowties, fezzes, or a stetson. "Everything is wrong with it! All it does is decrease brain cells!" Tightening her fists, she continued, "What the-"

"-hell is wrong with you Kai!" Gray finished off her sentence. His patience was wearing quite thin since she wasn't getting to the point according to his standards.

Kai scrunched his face in confusion, "Why you two getting mad at me, man?" he dumbly asked the two furious duo.

"Is today dumb question day or something? Did I miss some sort of memo here?" Claire yelled, "First Gray had one now you, Kai!"

"Watch it, blondie!" the blacksmith apprentice gritted his teeth.

"Stop calling me _blondie_, blackie!" she folded her arms, glaring daggers at him.

"Seriously? That's the best you came up with?" Gray scoffed.

"My cue to go." the tanned man mumbled to himself as he tried sneaking away. He knew that two volcanoes were about to erupt and had no intention of sticking around. But Gray wasn't about to let him go so easily.

"Not so fast pirate boy!" Gray yelled, earning a confused look from Kai. _Pirate boy?_ Kai mouthed.

"Just what the hell were you thinking telling everybody that I... that we... just what the hell Kai!"

"What—_ooohhh_! You mean-" he pointed to the two of them, "-the _kiss_."

"What the hell you were thinking spreading that rumor across town!"

"It's no rumor: I saw with _my own eyes_."

"Then your eyes need a checking, Kai!" Claire cut in, unfolding her arms, "I mean really! The only thing that remotely happen between me and this grumpy blacksmith here-" she pointed at the scowling Gray, "-within the last two weeks is when he stormed onto my farm and demanded his stupid hat back. Of course, he couldn't be all normal and civilized about it. Nooo! He _had_ to breathe his disgusting breath on me which by the way Gray," she turned her head towards him "you _severely_ need a breath mint!"

Before Gray had a chance to retort, Kai spoke up, "Look, I know what I saw, and it looked-"

"_Looked_ being the key word here, Kai!" the blonde-haired farmer interrupted, "but that's _not_ what happened at all!" she clenched her fists. For a minute, Kai really thought she would punch him. Briefly pausing, she then realized something, "Gah! I should've seen this coming! I've watched a lot of TV to know that sooner or later, stuff like this happens. And with this town-"

"Fantasies and real life, blondie, aren't related."

"Oh ya? You really want to put that to the test, grouchy?" she placed her hands on her hips, "What about the many things that have been predicated through _fantasies_ and _stories_? Huh? Cause there have been many! Just recently, the Doctor's own sonic screwdriver has become some sort of reality! Oh! And what about the ideas and lessons for those _stories_? They came from somewhere, you know!"

"That-"

"And what about this town?" she motioned all around them, "This town is _not_ what I call _normal_. Abnormally fast crops, multiple metals and gemstones located in the mines on this island, and who can forget the-bigger-on-the-inside items! And don't tell me that those things are normal, Gray! You know dam well they aren't! And even _they_ are taken from stories and such! So don't tell me they aren't related in some way!" Pausing slightly, she then added, "**And stop calling me **_**blondie**_!"

"Alright! Fantasies, real life—I get it! No need to get defensive!"

"I am _not_ getting-" she glanced around and noticed nobody else was around, just them, "where did Kai go to?" she suddenly calmed down a little.

"How am I suppose to know? Probably left as soon as you started yabbering!"

She folded her arms and pouted, "Aww, crap! And I had planned to _at least_ punch him in the face once!"

"Too bad for you." the blacksmith remarked dryly. Inside though, he chuckled.

"I can still accomplish that only on a different person, you know." she glared at him.

"Whatever." he sighed out.

An awkward silence soon befell them; only the sound of the ocean waves crashing onto the shore was heard. Both of them just stood there, not knowing what to do exactly. They both knew that it was getting pretty late, yet they didn't head towards their respective places. The reason to that mystery was somewhat unknown to them.

Gray soon found the sand interesting while Claire spaced out.

Her thoughts immediately led her to Kai, the purple bandana freak; so she called him. She was definitely _not_ amused at him. For all she knew, he could've embellish the whole situation, making it ten times worse. And she totally pictured him doing that. The thought of it caused her to clench her fists really tight. She was _so_ going to punch him if the opportunity arose.

Then her mind went to the librarian. Mary. She knew that Mary had a thing for Gray. Did Mary believe the nonsense out of Kai's mouth? Claire desperately hoped that wasn't the case: that the raven-haired librarian had some sense not to believe Kai. Mary, after all, was surrounded by books all day; therefore, Claire had assumed she was quite intelligent. And if Mary did believe Kai... the farmer pushed that thought away. She didn't want Mary upset at her. It wasn't as if her and Mary were all _buddy buddies _cause they weren't. That didn't mean though Claire didn't value having a friend like Mary.

"Claire?"

The farmer quickly snapped back to reality. "Huh? What the..." She paused for a bit. "Dammit, I did it again." she muttered under her breath. _Curse my brain... how long have I've been just standing here... why did I decide to just stand here anyways? Why-_

"Come on. I'll accompany you back to your farm."

_Now_ her mind was fully back to reality. "What the—no!" she crossed her arms, "I can take myself home just fine, thank you very much!" she snapped, "I'm a big girl, Gray!"

"I'm accompanying you back to your farm, and that's final; your brother would kill me if I allowed you to return back to your farm on your own in the dark." he said sternly as he looked at her.

"It's not even _that_ dark!" she protested, "I'm sure my-"

"It's not _that_ light out either, Claire."

The blonde opened her mouth, but nothing came out. He was right: it wasn't. Defeated, she sighed, "Fine, but don't expect conversation."

"Wouldn't dream of it." he mumbled.

The grumbling blonde began the walk back to her farm, with Gray walking beside her. She wasn't thrilled at the fact that Gray was accompanying her to her farm, but at the same time... no, she pushed those thoughts aside. She _definitely _didn't like Gray and _especially_ not in _that_ way.

Then why was she even thinking about it?

_**One word: curiosity.**_

She tried ignoring her conscience had just said but for some reason couldn't. Was it curiosity? Was she really curious about Gray? _Definitely_ not... at least not at first; but ever since he stayed over at her house for a bit, her curiosity in him greatly increased. Though she would never admit it, even to herself... even though indirectly she just did.

But her interest in him wasn't a love interest or anything like that. After all, she had no plans of starting another relationship. No, she found him puzzling. There was just something about him that made her inquisitive.

During the walk to her farm, she noticed that he didn't seem too unhappy. Though she couldn't really tell, especially with the lack of lighting around them; but she did note that he certainly didn't act the way he did on the night that he and Cliff was forced to escort her home. It looked like he really didn't mind taking her home, to some extent of course. She shrugged her shoulders, thinking no more of it.

As they arrived at her farm, the first thing they saw was a limping dog making it's way towards them. Claire immediately ran, almost tripping in the process. "Akira!" she cried out. Gray too had quicken his pace.

She dove to the ground at Akira's level. Looking over her dog's injuries, she breathed a sigh of relief. The injuries, fortunately, weren't serious; but still needed some attention. "Claire, maybe we should take her to Trent."

"No!" she snapped at him, "I'm not taking her to see him. And before you ask—he treats people not animals; and I don't like doctors (except for one of course): if I don't have to see one, I don't; and lastly, her injuries aren't severe. It's her paw that's injured and by the looks of it she has a small cut as well, but nothing serious. All I have to do is clean her injuries and bandage her up; and she should be just fine."

"That _small cut_ you call it doesn't look so small, Claire."

"It's small enough to handle and thankfully isn't deep. Now, I thank you for accompanying me; so you can leave." she waved her hand.

Claire then tried picking up her dog, but a hand stopped her arm before she could. She looked up to the owner of the hand and just watched him as she wondered why. "I'm helping." he finally said as he looked at her. It may have been somewhat dark out, but she felt his look.

She blinked in confusion. He did it yet again. This was why she was curious about him. Stuff like this absolutely puzzled her to death; it was simply illogical to her.

"Claire? What are you waiting for?" he asked as he held Akira in both of his arms.

Snapping back to reality, she got up and led Gray into her house. She mumbled the word _kitchen_ and _counter_ to him as she went into her bathroom to get her first aid kit and a cloth.

Once she arrived in the kitchen, Gray spoke up, "What do you want me to do?"

"There's much really; but you can comfort her by petting her head to reassure her that everything will be alright."

Gray did just that, to the best of his ability, as Claire began cleaning Akira's wounds. Occasionally, the dog would flinch a little from the slight sting the antibacterial soap gave, but that was to be expected. Once she finished cleaning her dog's wounds, she commenced bandaging her up.

During the whole time, neither Claire nor Gray spoke; and if they did, it was understood. Occasionally though, they would glance at each other but never at the same time. Claire would cause she was still curious and, of course, wanted to make sure Gray did an adequate job. Gray would since... goodness, he quite frankly didn't know exactly. Perhaps the curiosity was mutual.

When Claire finished treating her dog, Gray picked up Akira and gently placed her on the floor. Akira hobbled around for a bit then looked at the pair. Her face told them everything, that she was thankful for what they had done for her. She soon made her way to one of the couches.

"I still think you should take her to see Trent." Gray surprisingly spoke up first.

"Like I said before—no."

"Then at least take her to see Barley."

The farmer opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Closing her mouth, she carefully thought over the recent events and what exactly she would say, if anything. She bit her lip and finally spoke up, "Gray, I... thanks... thanks for the help and... everything, but-"

"Ya, I know." he interrupted, sticking both his hands in his pockets. Glancing at her, he continued, "I should get going. See you around, blondie." He then left her house.

The blonde-haired farmer scowled but managed to slip out a light chuckle.

Claire turned her attention to Akira, who seemed to be half asleep on the couch. "One things for sure: that dog is resilient. She'll be back to normal in no time." She turned her head towards her front door. "As for Gray... I don't know; that man confuses the crap out of me."

She then realized something, "Ah hell! I forgot to get a meal at the Inn. Guess I'll have to prepare something small." she grumbled as she began preparing some food.

Once Claire was done preparing and eating her food, she soon began to get ready for bed; and once done, slipped into her bed, ready for dreamland.

One thing that she didn't know: the blacksmith thought her idea of a shark cage for torturing Kai to be the better one, though he would have never admitted it openly.

* * *

**Interesting! :O lol Though poor Akira - though in case anybody was wondering, she's fine; minor injuries... but how? O.O I have some sort of an idea on that one - not sure yet.**

**I actually might to a one-shot relating to this chapter... not sure; the main character (if I do) won't be Claire and Gray - you'll understand if I do. I'll wing it! X)**

**But anyways, I don't about you but I enjoyed this chapter! Though writing it... it gave me a battle like I said before. Next chapter will be chapter 13... which I totally don't know what to do for that one lol! Welll, I do sort of; it's just conveying the right words and such: like I have a whole bunch of ideas running around in my head but it's getting them in order that makes sense lol; so I don't know how soon chapter 13 will be posted, but I'll try my hardest XD  
**

**Thanks for reading this chapter! :D  
Look out for more!  
(reviews are always welcomed - whether good or bad) :P  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Another up! :) Yay!**

**Oh, yeah, I may edit some of my previous Author notes on the previous chapters - you know this part that you're currently reading; I have my reasons... sort of. :P So if you see changes in the word count, you'll know why haha!  
**

**Oh! And I finally figured out something - I have a lot more readers than I thought I did. Finally found where I find this info lol! Took me long enough... haha! Thank you readers out there! :)  
**

**Okay, before I let you people read the chapter I would like to write one last thing. I would like to thank the following people: SunnyElla16, Britt, TalesGameSeriesLover, nnabelle, Butterfree, and Twyla Rivers - thank you all for reviewing! :D**

**Okay, enjoy this chappy!  
**

* * *

"Rick, seriously, you're getting on my nerves!"

"But-"

"I _know_ how to take care of my chicken, thank you very much! Alice is healthy and happy. I may not have won the Chicken festival yesterday, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing or that her environment isn't correct. So stop with the lecture. Geez!"

"Alright, alright, Claire. But just remember-"

"Rick! Just go and leave me to my work."

"Fine, but I'll be popping by now and then to-"

"_Rick!_" she glared at him causing him to quiver slightly. Her patience was quickly thinning out.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" he threw his hands up in defeat. As he headed towards the exit of her farm, he thought about repeating what he had said before but quickly decided against it when he saw her scowling face. He knew that she knew he was considering it. He quickly scampered off.

"Dam Chicken Man..." she muttered under her breath, "Coming here sometime after seven and **lecturing** _me_ for close to an hour!—_in the morning_! Gah..." The blonde blew her bangs from her face in frustration. Though she was surprised that she lasted as long as she did without severely hurting him. She then chuckled to herself.

Her little chuckle didn't last long when her eyes landed onto her field. Weeds—oh how much she despised them with a great passion! Those weeds _never_ seemed to go away which frustrated her. _It's summer and yet they still come strong..._ Weeds had become her arch-nemesis. _I will conquer and destroy you eventually!_ she thought to herself.

Then there was the whole matter of those big rocks and stumps. She still had to get rid of them, but couldn't at the present moment since her hammer was still in the blacksmith for upgrading. Her trip to the blacksmith had been an interesting and informative one.

_A small ding alerted the two blacksmiths—well, one blacksmith and his apprentice—as Claire entered the Blacksmith. Today was the day she was going to have her hammer improved or upgraded, and she was quite happy about it. "Hello there, Claire!" the friendly blacksmith smiled._

"_Hi, Saibara." Pausing, she then forced out, "Gray." Though to her surprise, she didn't have to force it out as much as she thought she would've._

_Gray naturally didn't reply and continued with his work. His grandpa grew slightly annoyed by the lack of manners his grandson had. "Boy, where's your manners? Be a gentleman and greet the young lady here."_

_He turned around and looked at Claire. "Hi." he mumbled. Then he returned back to his work._

Typical of Gray. _The blonde thought to herself._

_The elderly blacksmith shook his head. "What am I going to do with that boy?" he mumbled to himself, __loud enough for even Claire to hear. Turning his attention back to his customer, he continued the __conversation, "What brings you here, young lady?"_

"_I'm _finally _ready to upgrade my hammer!" the farmer chirped while she slipped off her rucksack._

"_Good, good!" Saibara smiled as he watched the farmer rummage through her rucksack. His eyes quickly landed on a blue ore which she placed on the counter. "Um, Claire?"_

"_Yeah?" she answered while still rummaging through her rucksack."Stupid dimension..." she muttered under her breath as well as some other curses. She liked her rucksack—very much so; but sometimes it was a nightmare to find something in there, especially if it wasn't that big._

"_Do you know what this blue ore is?"_

_She looked up and blinked, "No. Why?"_

"_That there is mystrile. Can I see your hammer for minute?" The blonde shrugged her shoulders and handed him her hammer. She observed him as he mumbled to himself while examining the hammer. "No, it's not quite ready for that upgrade." She blinked at that comment, not knowing what to think. "Do you have any other ores? Besides this and of course copper... Do you have silver?"_

"_Yeah, hold on." she paused and soon found the silver. _Yeah, figures I would find the silver no problem. Dam copper... _she thought to herself. "Here it is." she showed him it, "Why do you ask?"_

"_Cause I can use the silver instead of the copper to improve you hammer, if you like. Your hammer is ready for it." He paused to cough slightly, "Excuse me." He then continued, "A silver hammer is definitely better than a copper one; it's slightly easier to break those enormous rocks. It'll cost more though."_

"_Sure why not. I'm frustrated as it is trying to find my copper ore." She handed him the silver and the appropriate money. Slinging her rucksack back on her back, she thanked him and started to head towards the door._

"_How's Akira doing?" a gruff voice suddenly spoke up, stopping her in her tracks. Saibara was even caught off guard._

_She glanced back at the apprentice and blinked in total confusion. Of course, he didn't look at her but he did stop his work, waiting for her reply. "Um..." she cleared her throat, "She's doing, uh, she's doing great and it's only been a couple days. That dog... she amazes me everyday."_

_He grunted and continued with his work._

_She shrugged her shoulders then placed her hand on the doorknob; but for some reason, she froze. Why couldn't she open the door and walk out? Why was she just standing there? Then it hit her._

_Glancing back at the busy apprentice, she suddenly, without much thought, gently spoke up, "Thanks, Gray. Thanks for inquiring." She then exited the blacksmith._

She still didn't understand why Gray did what he did. But she figured it was probably because Akira had grown on him, even if he didn't want to admit it. Maybe that was why she had thanked him, cause he cared.

She suddenly fell backwards onto the ground as the weed she was battling with loosened it's grip from the soil. "Now that was one hell of a weed!" she commented as she observed the mutant weed. Her eyes, for some reason, soon glanced up and saw a figure in distance enter the Blacksmith. But she wondered why since it was a Thursday—a day that the Blacksmith wasn't open. She then shrugged her shoulders, concluding that he must have forgotten something or something like that._ I seriously have issues here..._

_**No, no, no you don't. You're just thinking.**_

_Figures you would have something to say. So... what was I thinking? Hmm?_

_**Apologizing.**_

_For—oh I see; you still want me to._

_**Actually you have been thinking of doing so this whole time since-**_

_Yeah I know! You don't have to constantly remind me._

_**Anyways, finally apologize for your behavior and start anew!**_

_I guess I could, on one condition._

_**Okay?**_

_Never say anew again—I feel... old when that's said; don't ask why cause we both know neither one of us knows._

_**Fine. But make sure you apologize to him—and soon!**_

_I guess it really is high time that I do; if he's a jerk about it, then he's hopeless and a bigger jerk than I imagined. But it has to be at the right time... how the hell is that suppose to happen? Half the time it's... I don't know but certainly not the 'right' time that's for sure._

Claire shook her head then continued to weed. She would worry about the apology when the time presented itself.

After doing a bit more weeding, she smoothed down her overalls then checked her watch. "Ten minutes after ten. Perfect!" She headed off her farm.

Crossing the bridge and passing the Poultry Farm, she soon came to her destination: Yodel Ranch. She had planned and decided that it was high time to buy a cow, maybe even a sheep. And she had everything prepared: fodder for food, a fenced off pasture for grazing, and a milker and a shearer just in case she would buy both a cow and a sheep. She even bought a bell, though she wondered if it would be of any use.

Claire entered Yodel Ranch and soon found Barley with some cows. He immediately saw her and motioned for her to come over. "Hello there Claire," he greeted as she was close enough, "it's a pleasure seeing you."

"Likewise." she smiled.

"What brings you here? Came to buy a cow? Or a sheep perhaps?"

"A cow... and maybe a sheep though it depends..." she thought carefully, "actually, maybe I will buy both."

"Splendid! I have just the two for you." He led her to a cow and sheep standing nearby each other, secluded from the others. Both the cow and sheep glanced up at their visitors, gave blank stares, and continued grazing. "Don't you think that these fine looking creatures are just wonderful?"

"They are indeed." Claire agreed as she slipped off her rucksack to get the appropriate amount of money.

"Course, you'll have to name them."

"Naming, eh? Well, let's see..." she contemplated while rummaging her rucksack for the money. Once she got it, she continued, "I'll call the cow, Daisy; and the sheep, hmm..." she tapped her lip, thinking of a good name, "I know! Cotton!" The names weren't exactly original, but it was the only ones she could think of.

"I'm sure they'll like their names."

"They better cause they're stuck with 'em!" she chuckled. Barley also chuckled with her. "I'll take them to my farm since I have the time to." she quickly added, "I know you are busy here and all." He nodded at her. "Oh, before I forget," She handed him the money. "here's the money."

"Thank you, Claire."

"No, thank you!" she beamed. He smiled.

Turning her attention to her new animals, Claire thought how she would get the two of them back to her farm. "Looks like I'll have to take two trips." she said to no one in particular. "Umm..." she turned her attention back to Barley.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that the one, you don't lead first, doesn't mix with my other animals."

"Thanks!"

She decided to lead or rather push Daisy home first. Once done, she went back to Yodel Ranch then took Cotton with her. By the time she finished leading her two animals to her farm, it was nearly lunch time.

Looking at her field again, she smiled at the crops that were growing. Corn, tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, and even pineapple were growing. She still was puzzled why certain seasons only allowed certain crops to grow... and even why certain crops lasted throughout the season while other crops didn't: one had to replant those. But she didn't let it bother her much cause really she was sort of getting used to the strangeness of the island. Yeah right! As if! She definitely was _not_ used to the island's strangeness. To do so would be insane in her books. No. It quite frankly fascinated her.

She quickly blinked back into reality—the reality of her hungry stomach. She entered her house and debated what to do for lunch. Immediately the idea of going on a picnic came to her mind. It was, after all, quite a pleasant and sunny day. Why waste it?

Once Claire had packed some food, she exited her house. Akira even tagged along, feeling almost her normal self again. _Dog's no ordinary one that's for sure; she's dam resilient!_ Claire thought as she headed towards the forest.

She knew the perfect spot to have her little picnic. The spot, that she viewed as one of the most beautiful spots in Mineral Town, was a little beyond the lake she had visited before when she first met her dog. As she crossed the bridge, she soon sighted a lone tall tree and nearby beautiful flowers growing everywhere. Stopping just short of the lone tree, she wondered if she should instead have her picnic on the peak of Mother's Hill; but she soon pushed that idea aside since her dog had sat down near the tree.

She slipped off her rucksack then plopped herself down on the green grass. Digging out her food, she soon began to eat.

As she ate, she beheld her surroundings. Tall chunky trees and a few lean ones surrounded the area as well as some bushy shrubbery. The pink flowers nearby her painted the small meadow, bringing out the whole beauty of the area.

She even heard birds singing in the tress and even saw some forest creatures scurrying on with their daily business. Occasionally, one would be bold and slowly approach the blonde but soon would scamper off because of Akira's curiosity of them. That made the farmer give a disapproving look to her dog but quite soon afterward pet her dog on the head. Claire could never stay angry at Akira. How could she? The dog was nothing but good when she wasn't mischievous.

Claire soon began to space out; she seriously was doing that way too much. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted though when a rather large bird snatched her rucksack much to her shock, horror, and astonishment. She never thought a bird would be able to even pick up her rucksack nevermind fly in the air with it.

"Oy! You rotten little—gimme back my rucksack!" she hollered at the bird who by then was perched on a high branch in the lone tree. The black bird only cawed at her in response as if it was taunting her or gloating in it's accomplishment.

"Why you..." she muttered to herself as she stood up, "so it's going to be like this, eh? We shall see who will win! You dam bird!" She redid her ponytail then began to climb the tree.

_I am not going to be beaten by some arrogant, cocky bird!_ she thought to herself,_ That bird is going to regret stealing my rucksack! May have bird stew tonight... or I should say tomorrow night since... _She quickly clung to the tree. _Whoa! That was close! For a minute there I thought I would be doomed! I certainly do **not** want to go to the Clinic. Creepy doctor; creepy place. _Chills ran down her spine. Yeah, she definitely had no plans on going there.

Once she reached the same level as the black infamous bird, she stretched out her arm to try to snatch her precious rucksack from it. The bird watched her attentively then cawed at her again and soon flew off. "Dammit!" she yelled, "That bird is **so** going in a stew!"

As she made her way down the tree, Akira starting barking for no apparent reason. "Ya I know, Akira. I'm coming! No need to-" _Ah hell! So much for avoiding the Clinic..._ Losing her footing on a tree—something she wished wasn't happening, but it was. She closed her eyes and braced for the sudden impact she expected.

To her surprise though, she didn't feel or hear any bones crack. _The fall must have been so severe that I'm dead now! Brilliant... just—just brilliant. Well, things are looking up now... Hehe, I can now freak Ann out... and maybe even Kai. Payback baby!_ But what was she feeling? A slight warmth? Certainly she wasn't dead. Was she?

Opening her eyes, she saw the last thing she expected to see or rather the last person she expected to see. She definitely wasn't dead but was very much alive. _What the hell? How did Gray get here? And how for that matter did he catch my fall?_ Then she soon pieced together another piece. _Akira... she knew. What would I do without her..._

It was an awkward silence as they both stared at each other. _Dang! Those eyes are mesmerizing! How come I've never noticed them before? Oh yeah, cause he wears that idiotic hat of his which covers them... _the farmer thought, _What the hell am I thinking? Curse my brain and especially my conscience._ Claire soon snapped out of her daze. "Gray? You can put me down now."

"Yeah... right... sorry..." He gently placed her down.

The pair stood in another awkward silence for a little while, neither wanting to start a conversation. Both were equally uncomfortable. "Gray?" "Claire?" they both finally broke the silence.

"You can go first, Claire." he said as he pulled the brim of his hat slightly down.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she began, "I, uh..." She gathered back her thoughts then continued, "Thanks. Thanks for saving me a trip to the Clinic."

He shrugged his shoulders as if catching clumsy blondes was a habit of his. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah." she nodded, "Though I don't think my ego is... dam bird—flew off with my rucksack. I swear when I get my hands on that bird..." She clenched her fists. "I'll turn it into bird stew!" Gray slightly chuckled at that.

"I don't doubt it." He paused for a bit as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I should be heading off about now. See you around, Claire." He tipped his hat at her then started walking away.

_**Now's a good enough time; apologize, you dimwit! Run, go, catch up with him!**_

_Dam conscience..._

"Gray! Wait!" she shouted as she ran to catch up with him. Gray turned around, surprised at her action.

"Look," she started off when she approached him, "I, well, uh, you see..." she fidgeted with her hands while trying to avoid direct eye contact with the man in front of her, "I'm not really good at this sort of thing; I can be quite terrible at it. And I usually avoid it when I can; so when I do, it's, uh, somewhat-"

"Get to the point, Claire."

"The point, yeah. Um, so what I want to say is sorry... sorry for my behavior since we met; I'm usually not that way and-"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Claire." he interrupted her yet again as he somewhat stared at the ground, "I haven't been exactly, well, you know."

"You're the only one to blame though, Gray; I'm just as guilty." There was a brief silence before Claire continued. "A fresh start?" she offered her hand out to him.

He briefly looked at her hand, not knowing exactly what to think. Taking a step closer, he took and gently shook her soft hand as he looked at her. "Fresh start."

"Sooo..." she broke off the handshake, scanning her surroundings to see if she was lucky enough to spot the infamous bird, "Name's Claire. And yours?" She returned her attention back to him.

"Gray." He lightly chuckled, giving a small smile. It was one of the few times Claire saw a genuine smile on him.

"So, what brings you out here in the forest in the first place? Aren't you suppose to be at the library by now?"

"I don't always go to the library. Besides, how would you know that I go there?"

"Everybody knows, Gray. It is a small town after all." the blonde pointed out, "That and Ann blabs a lot—seriously though, she rambles a lot, especially when she's hyper!"

Gray chuckled, "Couldn't agree with you more." Something they agreed on which quite frankly somewhat surprised Claire, but this was Ann they were talking about.

"Uh, Gray? Can I ask you a favor?" the blonde rubbed the back of her neck, "Can you spare some of your time and help me track down the bird who stole my rucksack?" Claire asked, not knowing exactly what his answer would be.

The blacksmith apprentice shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, why not. I don't have anything to do. Though," he contemplated, "this marks a historic day."

"How so?"

"You asking me for help." he smirked.

"Oh-" she said, clearly flustered, "-shut up. I know when to ask for help."

"Suure."

She rolled her eyes at him and soon began to walk. "Well, you coming? I don't exactly know this forest well."

"Yes your _highness_." he sarcastically remarked, earning a glare from the farmer. He only chuckled to himself.

_Dam blacksmith..._ the blonde thought.

The two of them spent the rest of their afternoon searching for the bird. Find the bird and the rucksack should be close by, in theory. They practically searched every inch of the forest, and still... nothing. Frustration was evident in Claire as the two of them headed towards her farm.

"Now what am I suppose to do? Lug my tools around while I do my farm chores? That so nineteenth century!" the farmer threw her arms up.

"Don't you already do that?"

"Gray, that rucksack is one of a kind—_one_ of a kind; there's no other like it... at least far as I know. That rucksack makes my life soooo much easier!" She blew at her bangs which were somewhat in her face. "I guess, though, I could look on the bright side: I took everything out, including my tools, before I packed my food. So, I still have my tools... still doesn't change the fact that my rucksack is probably history." She paused as she pondered. "Where in the hell is Akira anyways? She should have been helping us track that dam bird down, but instead she ran off to who knows where."

Gray remained quiet, listening to the blonde's rant.

"Like, I love that dog, don't get me wrong; it's just sometimes... I just don't know what to do with her."

Silence fell upon them as they continued their way to her farm. "Can I ask you something?" Gray surprisingly broke the silence.

"Shoot."

"Why do you always wear that key around your neck?"

The blonde-haired farmer shrugged her shoulders as she glanced down at her key necklace, "Dunno exactly. I just do. I got it for my birthday from... well, haven't a clue whom I got it from. Ann's trying to convince me that I have a secret admirer and such, but I don't think I do really."

"Then why do you think the person gave it to you?" he further inquired.

"I haven't a clue; maybe cause the person's nice? Who knows why the person did. I'm not really going to loose sleep over it. If I find out, I find out; if I don't, I don't. I just think it was a nice gift; but for some reason I seem to have seen something similar to this somewhere, though I can't place my finger on it. Knowing me, it's probably something staring right smack in front of me; it usually is. Or it could be nothing at all and just my imagination taking off."

They soon saw the sight of her farm and something else as well. "Well, I'll be..." she began as she scratched her head, "I don't know how she does it, but she always _always_ seem to surprise me. This is why that dog is one of a kind."

What they saw in front of them was Akira with Claire's rucksack near her apple tree. Akira grabbed the rucksack in her mouth and headed towards Claire. Bending over, the farmer grabbed her rucksack from her dog then petted her. "I shouldn't have doubted you, girl." she said. Akira cocked her head, wondering how Claire could in the first place.

"I'll admit," Gray spoke up, "that dog is a fascinating one."

"Ya know she is!" sang the blonde as she hanged her rucksack on a branch of her tree: she would deal with it later. Glancing at the sky, Claire continued to talk, "I guess we should start heading for the Inn; Ann's no doubt waiting."

"Mustn't miss the _exciting party_ she has planned." he said dryly.

"Well, aren't we pumped for the party." the blonde sarcastically remarked. "You're going to be like this the whole time?"

"Claire, just think for one second." he said, ignoring her question, "Why's Ann having a party?"

"You don't need a reason to have one."

"This is Ann we're talking about; she never does something without a reason. I'm telling you: she's up to something—especially since she most likely will have a party anyways when her birthday arrives."

"Now you're just being paranoid, Gray." she waved it off. "Besides, she's only having a small party with all of us young people."

"We shall see." he mumbled.

Claire rolled her eyes as she, along with him, started heading towards the Inn. The walk to the Inn was a quiet one, which really wasn't a surprise. But Claire didn't mind at all.

"Claire!" the waitress skipped over to her blonde-haired friend to greet her, "So glad you made it!" Ann then noticed the somewhat unhappy apprentice. "Gray." she smirked, "Now I know why you weren't here around four."

He glared at her then made his way over to where Cliff was standing.

"Well, I'm sure _you_ have an interesting story, am I right Claire?" the ginger nudged her friend.

"Not really, A-"

**Crash**

"Andrew! Not another one!" Ann yelled in frustration.

"Well, sorry Ann!" he snapped at her as he picked up the bigger pieces of a broken plate. "Today hasn't been going well for me! So cut me some slack here!"

"No need to get snappy at me! Geez!"

Andrew glared at the ginger before returning to the back room for a broom. "You're brother sometimes..." Ann shook her head.

"Yet you still like him." the blonde teased.

"Well... Claire!"

"I know." Claire smiled innocently, "Anyways, what's got my brother in a sour mood?"

"Would you believe me if I said it had to do with the game Scrabble?"

"That I would." the farmer laughed. Claire thought back to the times when she and her brother played Scrabble. He always prided himself on being the best... that is till now. Obviously he had been dethroned by Ann and wasn't taking it easy.

"Ah yes!" Ann snapped her fingers which snapped Claire back to the present. "That reminds me: I need you to get me something from the upstairs hall closet."

"Okay, what?"

"A broom!"

"A broom? Don't you have one in the back room?"

"Not this kind of broom, Claire; this broom is special, and I need it. I have to still take care of things before—let's see..." she looked around in the Inn, taking note that Gray, Cliff, Kai, Trent, Elli, and Mary were in the room. "before Karen, Rick, and Popuri arrive. So can you please get it for me?" the waitress pouted as she gave puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine. What color is it?"

"Red. Thanks Claire." the ginger smiled a smile which sent a cold chill down Claire's back. Why? She didn't really know; maybe it was the somewhat cool air circulating. Pushing that thought aside, she grabbed a snack, which Ann had for those who came out early, then headed upstairs.

Once the farmer reached the second floor, she marched straight ahead where the closet was located. Opening it, she soon started to rummage through it.

The closet wasn't the biggest and didn't have much in it, but for some reason, Claire couldn't find the red broom. _Dam broom! Gotta go further in..._ Yet no matter how much she looked for the broom, she couldn't seem to find it. She began to wonder whether the broom even existed.

"Claire, need any help?" a familiar voice asked.

"No, Gray, I don't think I do." she replied in a muffled voice since she was back in the closet.

"Cause Ann said that you may need help."

The blonde turned around and stared straight at him, "Did you just say Ann?"

"Yeah, wh-" Realization crept on both of their faces.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Claire found herself locked inside the closet with, naturally, Gray at a very uncomfortable closeness. It all happened fast, but she did catch a glimpse of a ginger braid and something purple before the closet went dark. _Ann's soo going to regret this: I don't know how, but she will; and Kai... I'll be ordering a shark tank._

"I tol-"

"Don't say it, Gray; don't say it..." the blonde muttered.

* * *

**So the two are somewhat friends now... sort of lol! Don't worry, they still will argue :P  
**

**I don't know really how that went; I'm here scratching my head and wondering if I rushed it or if the characters were out of character... lol! Oh, well, I hope you guys out there liked it! :D**

**Yeah, I realize that getting locked up in a closet maybe a little cliched but... well, I have nothing to say to that hehe.  
**

**So, next chapter will be chapter 14 - like I said before, now it'll take a while for me to post since I have to write them as I post so to say; like after I had posted 12, I started writing 13 - does that make any sense? Hope so.  
So if you don't see another chapter for a while it's because I have terrible writer's block (on that line) or I'm still writing it.  
**

**But look out for more - there will be more! :D  
(along with a few one-shots)  
**

**Oh, and sorry if I left at a cliffy... lol  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry again for leaving the last chapter on a cliffy. I don't know what I was thinking lol  
Anyways, not sure how this one turned out; it certainly gave me a battle that's for sure. Didn't help when I got sidetracked by writing a separate story called** _**Dishes **_**which I haven't a clue how I did on it lol! It was my attempt on 1st person. :P Oh, and it's a Jack x Ann fic! :D**

**Okay, may I remind you people here that this story is a Romance, Drama, Humor and maybe a little Adventure and Mystery (though probably more mystery than adventure - you'll see as I progress through this story) :P  
**

**Oh yes! Reviews! :D From new people too! :D Okay, so thank you people in the following list: emrie, Perfect Memories, starrynightgirl (Britt), ****SunnyElla16, TalesGameSeriesLover, nnabelle, Butterfree, and Twyla River. YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME HAPPY! :D**  


******Enjoy reading this! :)  
**

* * *

"**Ann! You come back here and open this closet door!**" Claire yelled, banging the closet door. She had been doing that for a little while. Frustration was an understatement to describe what she was feeling.

"Yelling won't help. So you can stop; same with the banging." the blacksmith apprentice rubbed his temples.

"And why the hell not?" the blonde demanded while she faced him, her back being against the closet door. "Don't ya wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah, of course I do; I'm just as angry at her as you are. But like I said, yelling won't help for one reason: the closet is soundproof."

"_What?_" Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "Who does that?"

"_Ann_, that's who."

"What in the world gave her that crazy notion?"

"Not what, but who; and that _who_ would be Kai."

"Well, that certainly..." She paused for a bit wondering how Kai was involved but couldn't figure out how. "Actually," she continued, "no, it doesn't make sense. Kai?"

"Long story short: Kai_ really_ pissed off Ann one summer. In retaliation, she decided to lock him up in here. He then hollered all night long, disturbing anyone who wanted a good night sleep. Kai was lucky that the next day was a Thursday, otherwise I would have beaten the crap outta him." Claire tried stifling a chuckle but failed miserably. "And I guess Ann had troubles sleeping as well; so she soundproofed the closet. And the next time Kai pissed her off, let's just say it was quiet."

Although she found the story quite humorous, the farmer gaped her mouth open in shock at the blacksmith. "Whoa... I think that's the most I've heard you say like at once." she teased.

"Very funny, Cl-"

"Can we switch spots real quick? I wanna see if I can find some source of light like a flashlight." she quickly interrupted, changing the subject entirely. Before Gray could even answer, Claire crammed her way through to the back of the closet. "Thanks."

"It wasn't like I had much of a choice." he muttered.

"Don't get grouchy on me now, Gray. I certainly don't need it." she said as she rummaged through the back of the closet. "Dammit! Just my luck—nada." She snapped her fingers in remembrance. She had her cell with her which had a light in it. For some reason she had felt taking it with her; and she was glad that she did. Digging around in her overalls, she soon found it. "Figures..." she muttered as she tried turning it on, "Battery dead... now of all times." The blonde shoved her cell back in her overalls and began to think.

"Claire?"

"Gray, do you by chance have like a bobby pin or hair pin?" the blonde asked as she shoved her way back in front of the closet door.

"Why the hell would I have any on me?" he raised his voice, being a bit annoyed and bewildered.

"Gee, sorry for asking a question! I temporally forgot, okay? Sometimes I can't think straight, especially in..." she abruptly paused, trying to drown a resurfacing memory. _No!_ she commanded herself, _Uhh... change subject, yeah._ "I'm gonna sit down since I don't wanna stand the whole time waiting for our release from this cramped up closet."

"Is there even room to sit? There's barely enough room as it is."

"There will be once you sit; so sit."

"Claire-"

"Siiiit." she dragged out.

He slide down the back wall of the closet as he muttered, "Claire, I'm not a dog."

"You could've fooled me. Now, good boy!" she patted his head which only fueled his anger.

But he quickly turned his anger into shock when Claire plopped herself in between his stretched out legs and leaned herself against his chest. He was thankful that the room was dark; otherwise his blush would have been visible, very visible. "You say or do anything I don't like, you'll wished we had never met." Claire sternly warned.

"If we never met, we or I should say I wouldn't be stuck in here."

"Smartass." the blonde muttered.

* * *

"This is _so_ boring!" the pink-haired young woman dramatically sighed.

"I have to agree with Popuri on this, Ann." Karen spoke up, flicking her dirty blonde hair, "This party, no offense, sucks." Everyone else in the room seemed to agree, for the most part.

The ginger-haired waitress huffed in annoyance. "Fine." she began as she started to pack away the bored game, "We'll play something else."

"Yo, Ann! In like two moves I would've..." Everyone around the tanned traveler stared at him, not knowing what to think. "Nevermind then."

Karen began to laugh. "You were actually enjoying Monopoly? That has to be like the most boring bored game ever! It's too dam long!"

"I said nevermind." Kai repeated while adjusting his bandana.

"Sorry, I can't get it outta my mind."

That was an invitation for Kai to do his thing. "Really? So-"

"Why don't we play charades!" Ann cheerfully suggested after she placed the game back onto her shelf thus interrupting Kai's well thought out flirt. "I'll go first!"

"Before we proceed, does anybody know where Claire is?" Trent spoke up.

"And Gray..." Mary timidly added, not wanting to leave Gray out.

"Yeah, Ann. Just where the hell is my sister?"

Ann stealthily shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "I told you: they are occupied with stuff."

"Does it really take that long to look for a stupid broom?" Andrew crossed his arms. He had an inkling that Ann was up to something or already did something. "And for the record, we _have_ a broom down _here_."

Ann played around with her braid, thinking of what to say next. "Maybe they're making out!" Kai cut the thick silence as he smirked. The doctor glared at the bandana wearing man while the librarian shifted in her seat. Both didn't like the idea of it. "Or maybe not..." Kai added soon after, "But one doesn't know these stuff." His smirk returned. The doctor clenched his hand, creating a fist.

"Why don't we play Truth or Dare!" Popuri piped up, changing the whole conversation and mood.

"Popuri!" Karen whined, "That's a kid's game!"

"So?"

"Soooo..."

"I don't see why not." Andrew cut in. "'There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.'" he quoted as he held a finger up like a scholar would when saying some profound. Everyone in the room stared at him, giving him blank expressions. Everyone except for Popuri that is; she gave a wide smile, happy that someone agreed. "That's the problem with you people: you guys don't appreciate or heard of the classics!" he slouched into his seat, "Claire would have gotten that right off the bat."

"Nevermind him, everyone." Ann spoke up. "He's still sour about the fact that _I _defeated him in Scrabble earlier."

He shot daggers at the ginger. "That's because _you _cheated!"

"I did not! You just can't stand that _I_ won and _you_ lost!" she waved her finger at him.

"I still wanna rematch!" he muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And get whooped again?" she teased as she sat down beside him. "Good luck with that!" she grinned.

Andrew only glared at her then muttered again, "Out of the five of you..."

"What's that?" Ann held her ear towards him.

"Nevermind, let's just play."

"Alright!" Ann shrugged her shoulders. Scanning her friends, she then pointed at Cliff. "Cliff! Truth or Dare!"

* * *

"And then he was like-"

"Claire!" the blacksmith apprentice interrupted, getting quite annoyed, "Stop your rambling! You've been going on and on and on for the past... I don't know, but it's getting a bit redundant."

"Well, excuse me, grouchy. Just trying to have a conversation here."

"More like a one-sided conversation."

"Well, then, smartass, why don't you ask me something. Clearly I've been doing it all wrong." the farmer sarcastically remarked.

"Alright, I will, blondie." Claire gritted her teeth. "How was your day?"

"Besides the fact that some dumbass bird stole my rucksack and I had to go prancing around the forest for it when all that time my dog probably found it somehow? Fantastic!"

"I was there with you, remember?"

"Yeah, I do though I try not to." Gray only rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, but I did buy a cow and a sheep today. Daisy and Cotton." the farmer proudly declared.

"Real original names."

"Oh, and you can do better?

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Alright, smartass, give me six different original names."

"Well, I..."

"Thought so." Claire triumphantly exclaimed.

"Hey! Just because I can't immediately spew out six original names, that doesn't mean I don't know any."

"Suuure. Keep telling yourself that." Before the blacksmith had a chance to respond, Claire quickly continued thus changing the subject, "Sooo, how was your day?"

"Claire..."

"What? Just answer the dam question!"

"Fine." he muttered.

Claire waited for him to answer her question but received no answer. "Well?"

"I already answered your question."

"What? Just fine? Nothing else? Come on Gray. You can do better than that."

"What, you mean besides the fact that Gramps decided that it was fun to make me, his grandson, come into the Blacksmith on a day off and criticize me in the process for every dam thing? No," he contemplated, "other than that it really was fine... till the whole being stuck in a closet thing." Claire whammed her elbow into his side causing slight pain for him. "What the hell was that for, blondie!"

She whammed her elbow again into his side. "Since that last one was self explanatory..." she trailed off, "I'll explain the first one since you can't figure it out. You, Gray, are a whiny whimp or a dumbass, one of the two. And before you start throwing your temper..." she turned to face him even though she knew in the dark she wouldn't be able to see him, "Ya, I know what I said back in spring. And just because I understand your point of view that doesn't mean you are in the right. For crying out loud, Gray! It's called _**training**_ for a dam reason! You can't expect to master it the first time you do it! It's common sense! Haven't you heard the saying 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.'?"

"But-"

"No _buts_, Gray. Your grandpa may give you a hard time, but he does it for a reason. It is your responsibility to suck it up and keep trying. Yeah, you may get grumpy, grouchy, angry, frustrated, and whatever else that comes with it, but that is _no excuse_ to give up. If a lot of scientists simply gave up because of frustration and such, this world would be a hell of a lot different; and I don't want to imagine it."

Gray was quiet, too quiet. He knew quite well that she was right; but admitting it, that was somewhat difficult for him. He sighed heavily then spoke up, "I guess maybe I never really thought about that; maybe you're right..."

"You know dam right I am!"

"But-"

"Nah ah ah ah. No _buts_."

"No buts..." he echoed, defeated.

"Exactly!" the blonde exclaimed as she returned to leaning against his chest. She wasn't exactly comfortable doing so; but the closet was quite cramped; and it was the only way both she and Gray could sit relatively comfortably.

Quietness fell upon them for a while. This gave another opportunity for that one memory of Claire's to try to resurface again. Her mind struggled to keep it buried, but it was relentless. "Gah! When are we going to get the hell outta here?" she broke the silence in agitation, "I just can't stand it in here anymore. I just can't—I just can't..." she rubbed her face in a frustrated way.

"Claire, are you feeling alright?" Gray asked softly.

"What the hell is the suppose to mean, _am I feeling alright_? How's anybody to suppose to feel alright in this cramped up shoebox called a closet?" she snapped, slightly—just slightly—shaking.

"You're not claustrophobic, are you?" Just as soon as he asked her that, he regretted it

The blonde frowned as she crossed her arms but soon responded, "I have been in _really_ crowded subways and buses which are _way_ worse than this closet. So, no, not really claustrophobic exactly. It's just..." she sighed heavily then continued, "small closets and me don't mix. Ever since..."

"Ever since...?" Again, he regretted prying.

She sighed again, "Gray, you have to _promise_ not to tell _anyone_, even my brother doesn't know; and I would like it to stay that way. And one more thing: don't scold Ann: she never knew."

"I won't."

"You better not!" She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then started her story, "Anyways, I was little, playing around, and my parents were fighting. Next thing I knew, I was being shoved into one of our closets. Why, I never knew; maybe I was in their way or something: I really don't know.

"The closet was dark, small, and cramped, much like this one. I remember being quite frighten in there, not knowing what to do or think. Didn't help when my parents were still arguing. I don't know how long I just did nothing in there—kind of hard to know since my mind was in an absolute jumbled mess. But I soon heard another voice belonging to my brother—he had been over at a friends house. I opened the closet door slightly to get a glimpse and saw my parents... they..."

Claire paused for a bit, trying to get her bearings; but a stray tear managed to fall from her face. "I then quickly closed the closet door after what I had witnessed... and I... just stayed in there for a while..." More tears watered her eyes, trying to fall down; but she tried to hold them back as best she could and did to some extent. "That day I found out why my brother would have..." She couldn't hold back the next wave of tears which resulted her breaking down.

That placed Gray in a very awkward situation. He didn't know how to handle someone crying. It wasn't as if he had any experience in it cause he certainly didn't. He gently spoke, "Claire, please stop crying. I'm sorry that I-"

"Don't be." she managed to choke out. "I'm not really crying cause of what I just told you... well, sort of. It's just... dammit, it takes being locked up in a closet for me to realize how much I had really _really _missed my brother in the last six years—the years I chose to forget him—and how much he really means to me. I guess I had been bottling everything up." _And now of all times I decide to let it all out..._ She surprised herself on how much she said to him, even if almost every other word she choked on. "If I lost my brother again..."

The blacksmith placed his calloused hands on her arms and gently gave her a reassuring squeeze which surprised not only him but her as well. "You won't."

"Thanks, Gray." she said, slightly calming down. Her eyes began to feel droopy as silence once again befell them. She curled up against Gray, starling him a bit, then fell asleep.

* * *

"_Finally_, it's my turn." Andrew looked at each person, deciding who his victim would be in the game of Truth or Dare. But he didn't take long since he knew _exactly_ who to pick. "Ann, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh, I'm screwed either way, am I?"

Andrew only gave a smug smirk.

"Fine, Truth." Ann muttered.

He thought carefully what to ask her. Three things he wanted to know from the ginger-haired waitress. One, did she cheat when they played Scrabble? Even though she said she didn't, he still didn't buy it. Though, as he thought through the first option, he realized that would be a waste considering she would just tell him the same thing. But dammit, he knew she did something but what?

The second question he was considering was did she like him. And he was _very_ tempted to ask that. But he figured that would only cause a _really_ embarrassing and awkward situation which he didn't want to be in.

Therefore, he picked his third: where was Claire?

"Ann, tell me the truth now: where is my sister?"

"I, uh... oh, look," the ginger stood up, "we are in need of more chips. I'll go get some more."

"Sit, Annie." She obeyed then immediately glared at him for calling her Annie. "Well, go on: tell us."

Ann stared at the floor then finally spoke up, "Claire. Upstairs. Closet... and Gray..." Her voice grew quieter as she said each word.

Everyone in the room, except for Kai, stared at her in disbelief. "Ann!" Andrew exclaimed.

"What, Kai was involved too!" she pointed at the purple-bandana-wearing man.

"Hey, man! You're not pinning this all on me! It was your idea! You just wanted my assistance!"

"Ann, just what were you thinking?"

"To get those stubborn mules to work out their differences once and for all! That's what! Someone had to do it, Andrew!"

"Oh, Ann..." Andrew stood up and grabbed her wrist then led or rather dragged her out of the room. She didn't protest since she knew where they were going. Both Trent and Mary followed not far off from them while everyone else remained in Ann's room.

When the four of them reached the second floor of the Inn and opened the closet, they beheld a sight of a sleeping Claire and a scowling Gray. Both the doctor and the librarian didn't know what to think of the sight. Before Trent had the chance to speak, Andrew spoke up, "Is Claire alright?" He knelt down in front of the two.

"She's fine. Just fell asleep." the blacksmith said, trying not to wake up the sleeping blonde.

The dark-haired man nodded at the blacksmith. "I'll take her to the unoccupied room." He then carefully picked up his sister, bridal style, which caused her to stir somewhat, but she remained asleep. Carrying her into the empty room located beside the room he stayed in, he gently laid her on an empty bed. He then slowly headed towards the door but soon stopped as he looked back at his sleeping sister. Peaceful—that was one word he used to describe his sleeping sister. A small smile appeared on his face. "My lil' Clairey."he mumbled.

"Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow." he heard his sister sleep talk.

All he could do was chuckle. "Even in her sleep."

He left the room and entered into the midst of a slight argument. "Like I said, nothing happened; we just talked!" the blacksmith said as he glared at the doctor. While they both were locked in a glare-off, Mary stood somewhat nervously beside Kai, who had decided that he didn't like the vibe in the room downstairs, and Ann frowned at the present situation.

"What the hell is going on? I leave for like what? A minute?" Before he was able to get an answer, Andrew quickly continued, "You know, I don't even think I want to know. But may I remind you that my sister is sleeping in that room." he pointed behind him, "And I don't want anybody to disturb her; so you two," he referred to Gray and Trent, "quit it or I'll make you quit it." He gave them a stern look which soon sent them downstairs, with Kai and Mary following.

"Well, what now?" Ann interrupted the recent silence, "The party is pretty much trashed... but it's not like I planned something elaborate or anything."

"Do you want to go out somewhere then?" As soon as he asked that, he mentally slapped himself. He was thinking of it but never expected to say it out loud.

"And ditch the party?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not. I always wanted to ditch a party."

"But you already-"

"Have before?" she finished his sentence. He nodded. "I know, but never my own before. I'm sure my dad's able to kick them out when the time comes. He always does anyways. But..." she trailed off, "it's getting dark out."

"So? Has that ever stopped you before?"

"No."

"Then?"

"Then what are we waiting for? Come on!" she practically dragged him. He chuckled at her actions. That cheerful woman always amused him.

As the two of them headed out of the Inn, Andrew just knew that the rest of summer would be not only eventful for his sister but also for him.

* * *

The farmer woke up to the bright sun beaming into her room. Opening her eyes, she looked around her surroundings then rubbed her eyes to make sure what she was seeing. "What the hell—ooohh..." she mumbled to herself as she sat up, "I must have fallen asleep at some point last night; that would explain why I'm in the Inn and not on my farm."

_**No kidding. You figured that out all on your own?**_

_Shut the hell up..._

Sitting on the bed, she thought back to the previous night—the night Ann had locked her in the closet with Gray. Although she was mad at Ann, she kind of didn't mind... much. She viewed it as an opportunity to get to know Gray a bit more, even though it was her that told more about herself than he did. But through his actions, she saw a Gray that she was certain nobody really knew.

Then her mind wondered to the little story she told him. _Why the hell did I tell him in the first place? I never told anybody else before, even Kat and Kale don't know... what possessed me to do that? Dam closet... I'm never going near that closet again. I'm kind of glad now that I don't have one._

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. The door opened and revealed a very cheerful waitress. "Good morning, sleepy head! I see you're awake now!" she chirped as she closed the door behind her with her foot.

"Ann," the blonde whined as she rubbed her temples, "do you have to be so cheerful in the morning? I just woke up."

"Looks like someone isn't a morning person." the ginger teased.

"I'm not even going to answer that..." the farmer noticed what Ann was holding, "What's all that food for?"

"Decorations." Claire rolled her eyes at Ann's sarcasm. "What do you think? It's for you to eat, silly!"

"All that? That's enough food to feed five people!"

"I know right? Can't go hungry!" Ann sat down at the edge of the bed. "And it's sort of an apology for locking you up in the closet with Gray. But dammit Claire you two had to work out your differences! I never did like seeing you two fight. Like much as I hate to admit it, but I sort view Gray as a brother I never had—but don't you dare tell him that! I would never hear the end of it from him."

The blonde chuckled, "Gray as a brother, eh? I'm not sure if he would take it as a compliment or an insult. Oh, and you do realize that Gray and I worked our our differences so to say _before_ we arrived at your 'party'"

"Yeah, Gray told me that last night... but like I was saying, I didn't want you two to fight cause-"

"Ann, don't finish that sentence." Claire interrupted, knowing what her friend was going to say.

"Alright," the ginger smirked, "as long as you know."

"How can I not know when you constantly push for it."

"But Claire, you two would-"

"La la la la la!" the blonde shouted, plugging her ears. As soon as she was sure Ann was done, she unplugged her ears.

"Oh, Claire!" Ann laughed. "You're too much!"

"Ha ha, Ann. Can I have my breakfast now?"

"Yeah, here." She handed the blonde the tray full of food. "Oh, and I made your favorite too: your brother told me. And I'll say this: you, Claire, like strange stuff."

"What? Peanut butter on a pancake is delicious! I love it!"

"Yeah... I can't picture it."

"Your loss..." Claire said, chewing her food.

Ann stood up and headed towards the door. "You need some manners, Claire."

"I'm not the only one, you know."

"Very funny, Claire." the ginger remarked, opening the door.

Ann stepped one foot out of the room before the farmer shouted, "Ann!"

"What? I'm right here, you know. No need to shout!" the waitress said as she turned around to face Claire.

"Sorry, I just wanted your attention."

"Well, now that you have it..."

"Could you send my brother up? I want... I want to see him..."

"Sure." With that, Ann left the room, closing the door behind her.

While Claire ate her breakfast, her thoughts wondered to those six years she chose to forget her brother. She had chosen to do that for a reason, but now she wondered if it was the right decision. _Maybe I should have ditched school and gone out to find him..._ But she quickly dismissed that since she knew her brother would have killed her if she had done that.

She sighed heavily as she finished her breakfast. After she pushed her tray towards the end of the bed, she grabbed her legs and pulled them closer to her chest. She held them there as her mind wandered again to her brother. And the more she thought about her brother, the more her eyes grew watery. A sudden knock on the door knocked her back into reality. She quickly wiped her eyes with her hands then watched the door.

The door opened. "I would have came up sooner but Doug wanted me to-" Her brother had turned around after closing the door and had seen her. Her hair was in a very messy ponytail, and she was still wearing what she wore the day before—her denim blue overalls and a red flannel shirt underneath. "Oh, Clairey..." he said as he took note of her somewhat saddened look on her face; he knew it quite well.

He plopped himself onto the bed, sitting right next to her. She immediately embraced him as if he would leave that very moment and soon started to cry into his chest. He placed his arm over her shoulder and gave her a slight squeeze. "What's wrong my lil' Clairey?"

"I don't want you to leave me ever again." she whimpered out.

"Sis," he took a deep breath, "I already told you back in spring that undomesticated equines-"

"Could not remove you. I know. It's just... I'm... sorry..." Her voice grew quieter.

"For what?" he asked, a little taken aback of what she had said.

"For... for forgetting you these past six years. I was angry and bitter. I acted-"

"Normal." he interrupted, "You acted normal for the situation, Claire. So don't work yourself up because of it." He gently rubbed her arm.

"I'm not really. It's... just only recently, I've begun to realize how much you really mean to me in my life and if I lost you again..."

"Stop right there, sis. I told you and I'll tell you again: I'm not going _anywhere_. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

A faint smile appeared on her face. "And I'm not letting you go that easily either..." They both sat on the bed in silence for a little bit before Claire spoke up again, "Andrew?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I forgive you... fully."

"I already knew that, Clairey." He smiled as he ruffled her hair.

"Course you knew. My brother. The one person who knows things before others do themselves." _Except for the whole Ann thing... that—he's blinder than blind._

"It's a gift." he shrugged his shoulders, chuckling a bit.

"Not really, Jacky. More like a calculated guess with a hint of luck."

"Now there's something I haven't heard in a looong time; I believe I was six when you called me that. I still don't like it by the way."

"Yeah, well, you'll live. It's what you get for calling me _Clairey_."

"Aww, but I thought my lil' sis like being called that?" he pouted, knowing full well that she really didn't.

"When I was like five or so, yeah. But I'm not little anymore."

"But you always will be to me." He gave her a slight affectionate squeeze. "You know, I could always call you Bri-"

"No!" she shot up out of his arm and faced him, "You know dam well I don't being called that!"

"Then don't call me Jacky, and I'll _never_ utter it. Deal?"

Claire stared at the man in front of her, not knowing what exactly to do or say. _Definitely perfect for Ann..._ she thought to herself. "Fiiine. Deal." she finally agreed.

"Now," he began as he hopped off the bed, "Claire, sis, you, my dear, look terrible."

The blonde glared at her brother. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious, J—I mean... ya know, just get out."

He chuckled. "Love you too, sis." he remarked as he left the room.

Claire mumbled to the empty room, "Despite your flaws, I too love ya, you big lug." _Always have in my own way._

* * *

**Sooooo... that was that! :)  
I'm still not sure how it turned out or if I'm even happy with it lol  
And a lot happened in it, huh.  
And yeah... peanut butter and pancakes, but I think I had it before and it was good! ...though that could have been cinnamon spread and pancakes... I forget off-hand lol  
**

**Oh yeaaah, probably wondering about 2 sentences, right?  
Like this one: _There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes._  
And this one: _Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow._  
I'll explain where they are from (both are from Doctor Who, specially during the classic era)  
1st one was said by the 4th Doctor and the 2nd one was said by the 3rd. :)  
Just thought I would tell you people out there XD  
**

**So, next chapter O.O I haven't a clue when it'll be up next; but I will try my hardest to get it up as soon as possible! :)  
Thank you for reading! :D  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay for an update! :D**

**So, some more references here cause I can! XD lol and... well, I don't know what else to say, haha.  
**

**Oh, yes, got a new review! Yay for new reviews! :D Yay for any review really! :D :D lol  
So, thanks for the review! Someone who called themselves _YOUR FAN_. I'm quite flattered lol Of course, I'm flattered with any review. I love getting reviews! ^^  
**

**So, on with the story since I have no idea what else to put here lol!  
**

* * *

It was a sunny day in Mineral Town, a day perfect for throwing tomatoes at friends. But first work had to be finished or at least started. "The life of a farmer." Claire mumbled as she toiled in her field.

Wiping the sweat off her face, she glanced around her field while leaning on her hoe. She was quite proud on how her field was starting to look. Those enormous rocks, which previously littered her vast field, were scarce now. There were though still some on her field; but since she received her finished hammer from the Blacksmith recently, the number of them dwindled day by day. She still had to take care of the stumps, but soon they too would be destroyed. _That's when I receive my axe from the Blacksmith._ she thought to herself.

She then turned her attention to her three animals in the enclosure she had built for them. Her cow, Daisy, her sheep, Cotton, and her pony, Alex were all grazing, happy to be out in the bright sun. She would have had her chicken Alice out and about as well; but ever since Akira chased the poor chicken around, Claire decided that Alice would be better off inside her coop. Though, the farmer didn't always keep her cooped up but rather kept a close eye on her anytime she would let her out.

"Akira!" she called out to her dog who was running circles around Daisy and Cotton, "Keep doing that and you may get kicked!" Akira stopped in her tracks and cocked her head at her mistress. She then barked as if she was explaining her reason behind her running around. The farmer laughed, "Silly girl! Why don't you come over to Momma and-" Before Claire could finish her sentence, Akira bolted towards the entrance to her farm. "Dam dog..." the blonde muttered then soon went back to work. _That dog is definitely back to normal... whatever her normal is._

"Claiiire?" a familiar voice hollered, "Where are you?"

The farmer stopped her work and sighed to herself, "Is it that time already?" She dropped her hoe onto the ground and slipped her rucksack from off her shoulders. "I'm behind the corn, Andrew!" she hollered back.

As soon as she stuffed her hoe back into her rucksack, her brother (as well as Akira) arrived within her sights. "You ready?"

"I guess." Claire said, slinging her rucksack onto one shoulder, "I just have to take my bigger-on-the-inside rucksack into my house." She couldn't help but grin widely.

"Do you ever just say 'rucksack'?" he asked, knowing full well what she would say.

"Nope! I just have to add _bigger-on-the-inside_." she remarked, still grinning.

"Course you have to; otherwise you wouldn't be my little sister." he ruffled her hair.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad you know." she commented as they walked towards her house, "Rumor has it that you own a fez."

"Wellll, fezzes are cool."

"Yeah, I know." she chuckled then paused, "Ya know, I don't know where I was going with that."

Her brother kicked a stray pebble before resuming the conversation. "Rumor?"

"A rumor which you really shouldn't worry about." the blonde said as she opened her front door. She chucked her rucksack into her house and closed the door. "It's not like it's a bad rumor." she continued, "Ya never know; you may start a trend here eventually."

"Highly doubtful. Ann already detests it as it is. Which reminds me: if she ever goes on any of her rampages again-"

"No worries. That fez will always have a safe place in my house."

"Thanks."

"Though I may not want to give it back."

He only rolled his eyes. "I think we should get going now."

"Alright." Claire turned her attention towards her dog who had been following them. Kneeling down, she gave Akira some instructions, "Akira, girl, now I want you to stay here and guard Daisy, Cotton, and Alex, alright?" Akira barked in acknowledgment. "But please, don't drive 'em crazy that's all I need... just keep watch over them, okay girl?" The dog slightly hesitated before barking in acknowledgment yet again. "Good girl. Don't forget to guard the coop as well." the blonde patted her dog's head. Akira licked her owner's hand then bolted towards the three farm animals.

"That dog definitely trumps Lassie." Andrew declared.

"I know, right? I've never seen a dog like her before."

"There's always one, ain't there, sis." he said more as a comment than a question. She nodded her head in agreement. "Wellll," he dragged out "let's go."

The two of them left her farm, heading into town. It didn't take long for them to continue conversing. "What if she doesn't agree? Who then would we get?" Claire asked her brother.

"Trust me, Claire. She'll agree. Just leave the talking to me." he reassured her.

The blonde took a deep breath, "I still don't understand why it couldn't be just you and me on a team."

"Rules are rules, sis. I had enough trouble as it is to convince the mayor on having another team for the Tomato Festival"

"But you could have joined Ann's team like you've done in the past. I wouldn't have minded at all. It would have given me time to-"

"Toil on your farm while isolating yourself?" he cut her off, "No, I don't think so. You too need a break once in awhile. I don't want someone to come in the Inn one day to tell me that my sister just landed herself in the Clinic cause she was too stubborn to break and have fun."

"Hey! I take breaks once in awhile! It's not like I'm a workaholic but at the same time taking care of a farm is hard work and requires dedication; I can't just take breaks whenever I feel like it."

"It's not the same as going to festivals and spending time with friends."

"Well, no, but-"

"Which is why I insisted for you to participate in the Tomato Festival." he interrupted her yet again. "Besides, how else am I going to spend time with my lil' sister?"

"By visiting, perhaps?" the farmer tilted her head. Her brother wasn't known to visit; and the only time she got to see him was whenever she visited the Inn.

"Not when Doug has me working to the bone. Honestly, I never thought there would be so much work in the Inn considering we're in such a small town!"

"Oh, stop being a big baby!" she lightly smacked his arm, "That's nothing compared to farming. I bet if we switched jobs for one day, you'll be singing a different tune."

"Do I smell a challenge here?"

"Maybe; maybe not considering you may kill one of my animals."

"No I wouldn't... at least not intentionally."

"My point proven."

"Har, har." Andrew remarked as the two of them arrived in front of the Supermarket. He rapped on the front door. "I'm not that bad with animals." Claire gave him a doubtful look.

Footsteps were heard before the door swung opened. "Don't cha two know that we aren't open on festival days?"

"And a good morning to you too, Karen. But we aren't here to buy anything. We actually want to ask you something."

"Make it quick, Andrew." Karen crossed her arms as she leaned her shoulder against the doorway. "I've got stuff to do."

"Care to join my sister and I in the Tomato Festival?"

"Not particularly. It's one of the lamest festivals: why you think I don't go? And I certainly don't want tomato pieces in my hair."

"You could always tie your hair up." the blonde cut in, earning a I'm-handling-things look from her brother, "That's what I'm planning to do, though it won't prevent tomato hair completely; but it's better than not doing it at all."

"Mmm, true; but it's still lame."

"So throwing a tomato in Rick's or even Kai's face is lame?" Andrew countered.

"I can do that anytime in the summer—it's called the element of surprise. I don't need a day to dictate when I'm going to do it."

"Alright, Karen." Andrew sighed, feigning defeat, "I guess you don't mind if Ann brags again this year if she wins again." he commented nonchalantly.

Karen stared at him for a second then quickly responded, unfolding her arms, "Alright, I'll join." She turned her head, looking inside the Supermarket, "Mom, Dad! I'm going to the Tomato Festival with Andrew and Claire!" she hollered. Stepping outside, she closed the door. "That ginger-haired waitress will _not_ be bragging this year." she muttered as the three of them headed towards Rose Square.

"How come you never tried to stop her before?" Claire spoke up, hearing Karen's mutter.

Karen kicked an invisible pebble. "I dunno... didn't feel like it? But now that you two managed to start another team..." she trailed off.

Before the farmer could say another word, they entered Rose Square. There, barrels could be seen everywhere, some full of tomatoes and others just simply closed. The barrels in the middle of the square were placed in a way where each team could hide behind them while at the same time having access to tomatoes.

Ann bounced her way towards the new arrivals in the square, her ginger braid swaying in the air as she did. "Karen! I'm surprise to see you here." she chirped. "So you're the third member?"

"No, I'm here to observe."

"No need for sarcasm."

"You asked."

"Now, now, girls. Save it for the tournament." Andrew intervened. Though he secretly wondered how it would have ended if he hadn't.

Karen rolled her eyes in annoyance while Ann shrugged her shoulders then walked back towards her dad and Gray.

It wasn't long afterward that Mayor Thomas gave his announcement to start the festival, "Well, since everyone is here, let us begin the tournament!" He paused for a bit to take a deep breath then continued, "We will be during things a bit differently than we have in the past, considering that there's five teams instead of four." He glanced at Andrew, giving him a somewhat annoyed look, then quickly went on, "There will be five rounds; each round four teams will be playing while the fifth watches. At the end of the five rounds, whoever has the lowest mark will be eliminated. Then, the team in first will play the team in fourth; then afterward, the team in second will play the team in third. The winners will then be playing each other to see who comes out first. Does everybody understand the rules? Do I need to repeat them?"

Everyone mumbled that it was fine and that there's no need to repeat.

"Good. Round one: Star versus Sheep then Chicken versus Grape; TARDIS will sit out. Everyone get to your positions." the mayor droned on.

"Seriously, Andrew?" Karen spoke while everyone around them were getting ready for the first round, "You couldn't have thought of anything else?"

"There's nothing wrong with it." Claire interceded before her brother had the chance to respond. "It's an awesome name." She turned her head towards her brother, smiling brightly.

"Whatever." Karen sighed.

The first four rounds went pretty quickly with Star and TARDIS winning all three of theirs, Chicken winning two out of four, and Grape and Sheep winning none so far. After those rounds, the mayor decided that lunch was in order. Naturally, tomatoes (clean, of course) had to be involved with lunch which everyone groaned about but then just tolerated it.

After lunch, the fifth round soon began. In that round, Star was to play TARDIS; and Sheep was to play Grape. Sheep and Grape went first with Grape being the victors, giving them one point.

Then came TARDIS and Star's match which was interesting. The first one smacked with a tomato was Doug. Ann took note of whom had eliminated her father then soon took action as if she were avenging him. She launched a tomato at the culprit, who was Andrew, and was successful. Laughter erupted from the ginger as she quickly ducked as an oncoming tomato flew her way. Only Gray, Ann, Claire, and Karen were left.

But Claire wasn't going to take her brother's elimination lying down. With determination in her eyes, she readied her tomato and launched it at Ann but soon got smacked by a tomato from Gray. "Gotcha, blondie."

"Gray, you're _so_ going to regret that!" The blonde glanced over to Ann; and to her disappointment, the tomato she had thrown didn't smack Ann since the ginger had ducked. "Dammit!" the blonde cursed.

Now it was all up to Karen. Karen shot up, ready to give it her all, but two oncoming tomatoes smacked her thus crowning team Star as the victor of that match. "Nice try, but you can't beat the _power team_!" Ann taunted.

"There's always the finals, Ann." Claire retorted.

"We shall see! You still have to make it through the semis."

"You too, you know." the blonde countered. Ann stuck out her tongue childishly.

"Congratulations to you all!" the mayor hollered as if nobody could hear him. "Now here are the results so far: Star has four, TARDIS has three, Chicken has two, and Grape has one. Unfortunately, Sheep got none; but there's always next year for them. For the semis, Star will be playing Grape; and TARDIS will be playing Chicken." Mayor Thomas droned on causing a few people to somewhat nod off. "Let us begin the semis!" he hollered yet again.

The semis finished quite quickly which wasn't much of a surprise considering Star and TARDIS won their matches. "And now for the big finale—Star versus TARDIS!" the mayor announced as if nobody knew.

The finals proved to be quite challenging for the two teams. A lot of tomatoes were thrown back and forth between them but none smacked anybody. It seemed as if the stale mate would never end.

But Claire eventually broke that stale mate. She waited for the right time then she hurled not one but two tomatoes towards Gray. Both of them smacked him in the face. "Ha! I told ya you would regret it! That's what you get for calling me blondie!" she exclaimed. Gray then muttered something incoherently.

As quickly as Gray went down so did Karen then Doug. Only Ann was left against the siblings. The waitress managed to smack Andrew with her tomato; but as quickly as she did, Claire threw her tomato at the ginger. This time though, it smacked her. "Ha!" the blonde shouted in a way which reminded her of one of her favorite shows. She slightly giggled to herself.

"Well, that was another great festival! And the winner this year is the TARDIS Team!" Thomas announced. "Congratulations! Everyone may now leave when they wish to." He bowed then took his leave.

"Well, that was fun!" Claire declared to both Karen and Andrew.

"I told ya it would be." her brother remarked.

"Here we go again... every single year." Karen said to no one in particularly as she watched two men arguing while a very frustrated pink-haired young woman tried to calm them down.

"What? Ohh." Andrew realized when he glanced at what Karen was watching. "Kai and Rick _always_ argue when they lose the Tomato Festival. I feel bad for Popuri, being in the middle of it all."

"Why the hell Kai and Rick are even on the same team? Don't they hate each other?" the blonde inquired.

"One word: Popuri." Andrew answered. "Then of course there's Duke and Manna. They too argue if they don't win... well, it's more like Duke complains then Manna rebukes him and mentions something about him _then_ they argue. I find they seem to argue a lot." he continued.

"Not as much as my parents." Karen cut in. "They fight at a drop of a hat; but then they soon make up which quite frankly is silly to me."

"It's not that silly when you think about it."

"Maybe, maybe not, Andrew. It don't really matter to me. But what does matter right now is the fact that I have tomato in my hair and clothes. Catcha guys later." she said as she started walking away.

"I'm surprised that you're not going to rub the victory in Ann's face." Andrew stated.

"I would but..." Karen motioned at her tomato-covered self. She then waved goodbye at the siblings and headed back to her home.

"Well," Claire broke the small silence, "I think I'll be heading off as well."

"And leave me all alone?" her brother pouted.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "There are other people here as well, you know."

"Touche, but-"

"If you say that I need someone to take me home at _this_ time of day, I will punch you. It's not even close to dinner time!" she scowled.

"Alright, alright, calm down sis."

"I _am_ calm." Claire crossed her arms.

"Yeah, if that's calm, then I don't want to know what isn't."

"Ha, ha, such a comedian."

"I try." he grinned. She couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"I'll see you later." she said as she headed towards the northern exit.

"Why are you going over there?" he brother shouted.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Cause."

She exited the square, relieved to have some time to herself. As she continued her walk, she soon approached the Church which she never really bothered to see till now. It was a quaint ol' building, a building that perhaps could have been from the Middle Ages or at least close to that time period. A stained glass window decorated the front of the building, giving the building an antique look. Beside it was a quiet little cemetary.

Glancing to her right, Claire saw a path alongside the Church. _Wonder where this goes to._ she thought. And with those thoughts, she decided to satisfy her curiosity.

She followed the dirt path till her eyes came across a hut-like building, surrounded by a variety of trees. _Who could possibly live here? I'm quite sure I've met everyone... I guess I'll find out._ She knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing a rather short pointy-eared... well, she didn't exactly know what she was seeing. "Hello, budum! What brings you here?" the purple-wearing creature greeted the farmer.

The farmer's mouth remained agape. She quite frankly had no clue what to think. "I... uh..." she managed to stutter out.

"Come on in!" the creature spoke yet again. She followed the strange creature inside.

She looked around and saw seven small beds at the other end of the room and to her left, a small kitchen. In the middle of the room was a table with seven different colored chairs surrounding it. Various of plants also decorated the place, giving the place a homey vibe. _Wait... seven beds?_

If she wasn't shocked before, she certainly was now. There were not one but six other short pointy-eared creatures, each wearing the same outfits but different colors. _What the hell have I gotten myself into._

"You're Claire, right?" a voice grabbed her attention, "My name is Bold, budum. Welcome, budum."

"H-How do you know my name?"

"Small town, budum." the one in the aqua outfit remarked. "I'm Aqua."

"And I'm Staid, budum." the one in the dark blue outfit said.

"I'm Hoggy, budum." the one in the yellow declared.

"I'm Nappy, budum." the one in the orange declared as well.

"I'm Chef, budum." the one in the red bowed.

The creature in the green outfit looked at the farmer in fright then soon spoke up, "I-I'm... I'm Timid... budum..."

"W-What are you?" she asked, still in some sort of shock.

"People around here have always called us the Harvest Sprites, budum." Bold answered. "But we really aren't called that, budum."

"Then what are you called?" the blonde inquired.

"Something you humans cannot pronounce, budum." Staid replied.

At the word _humans_, Claire's eyes bulged out, "Oh my goodness! You seven are aliens then!"

"Aliens?" Aqua cocked his head.

"I guess you lil' guys don't get out much..." she trailed off, "Let me rephrase: you guys aren't from around here, eh?" They all shook their heads up and down. "Whoa... my mind is officially blown."

"Why would your mind blow up, budum?" Nappy asked the blonde.

"Oh, it's not literally 'blown up'; it's just a figure of speech: it expresses how much I'm in awe of everything."

"Why are you covered in tomatoes, budum?" Hoggy inquired about her appearance.

"Oh," she laughed, "I completely forgot that I was still covered in them. The people here had a festival where you throw tomatoes at each other and such. Luckily, they were mushy; but not so lucky for my hair." she pulled her ponytail to look at her hair, frowning as she did. Her stomach then began to gurgle. "Ooo, I guess I'm quite hungry. I really should be getting back to my farm. It was nice meeting you all, like _very_ nice meeting you all." _Every geek's dream._

"Don't go just yet, budum." Chef pleaded, "Stay and have dinner with us. I've cooked up something that I'm sure you will enjoy, budum!"

"Yeah, budum. Chef always cooks more than we can eat or at least more than my fellow friends here, budum. I love to eat!" Hoggy added.

"You would get along quite well with my friend Ann, Hoggy." the farmer laughed. Restoring her composure, she continued, "But I don't want to impose..."

"You won't be, budum." Chef gave her a friendly smile. The other six agreed with Chef.

"Alright, you talked me into it." Claire smiled.

The seven of them scurried around, preparing the table for dinner. Hoggy helped Chef with the food, occasionally sneaking some when Chef wasn't looking. Aqua, Staid, Nappy, and Bold set the table while Timid grabbed an extra chair for their guest. Once Timid had placed the extra chair in front of the table, the little creature glanced at the farmer and gave a small smile but soon scurried off to help Hoggy and Chef.

The food wasn't alien or anything like that but rather it was normal food. And Claire was quite thankful that the food was normal.

After dinner, she thanked them for having her over and for the food. They, in turn, told her that if she needed any help on her farm, they would be willing to help out as much as they were able to. She thanked them yet again, said her goodbyes to them, and headed outside.

"Creatures from another world!" she mumbled to herself as she passed the Clinic, "I _never_ saw that one coming! This town is definitely from the sci-fi world!" she chuckled to herself. "Wonder if Andrew knows this... then again, if those lil' guys live in a somewhat secluded area, no one really would exactly..." she shrugged her shoulders, continuing her walk.

As she approached the library, Claire saw the librarian exiting. "Hi, Mary!" the blonde chirped.

Nothing could ruin her happiness.

"Claire." Mary coldly replied then entered into her house.

Except maybe that.

_What the hell is her problem._ the blonde thought as she passed the library and Mary's house, _I _know_ I didn't do anything to offend her, so... what gives?Is it because of that idiot who wears that stupid purple bandana?But she already told me that she didn't believe Kai... so what could possibly make her upset at me? _The blonde then thought back to the day after the Chicken Festival. _Dang! Was it the closet incident? She knows dam well nothing happened... For crying out loud! Why the hell is she mad at me? That's... that's not like her..._

As the farmer entered her farm, she gave up in frustration on figuring out why Mary acted the way she did.

As soon as Akira saw her mistress, she bolted her way over. "Hey, girl!" she rubbed her dog affectionately, "Been good? Akira barked in response. "Course you have!" the blonde laughed.

Claire made her way towards her three farm animals. "Alright you three. Time to go back inside." She first led Alex back into the stable then pushed Daisy then Cotton back into the barn. By the time she was finished, the sky was pretty dark.

She sighed as she walked towards her house. "I guess more field work will have to be done tomorrow." That was one thing she didn't like about festivals: it kept her from her farm work. But at the same time, she knew deep down that going to festivals was a good for her.

Entering her house, she debated whether or not to watch any of her DVDs. She, after taking a deep breath in, soon decided that she should have a hot shower instead. She was, after all, still covered in tomatoes; and she certainly didn't want to stain the couches or anything else with them.

During her shower, her mind began to wander, specifically about recent events. But she didn't get a chance to dwell on her thoughts before something really strange happened. _We aren't what we seem, budum._

_What the hell? _"Hello?" she called out from her shower. She had heard a voice in her head; and quite frankly, it freaked her out. But calling out to it wasn't exactly the smartest thing she did, considering no one was around and it came from her head.

_Each of us have certain unique abilities, budum. This is one of mine, budum. But p-please don't tell the others that I told you, budum. No one is really suppose to know, budum._

_Who the hell are you?_

_T-Timid, budum. I g-gotta go... but remember... budum._

Words couldn't describe what was going through the blonde's head. Shutting the water off, she climbed out of the shower then grabbed her towel to dry herself. _None of this was in the ad in the newspaper... but if it had been... I still would have taken this farm!_

Once she was finished and exited the bathroom, she decided against the idea of watching TV and instead decided to go to bed early. She entered her bedroom and flopped herself on her bed. Crawling underneath her blanket, she began to muse. _Telepathy. I wonder what other unique abilities those lil' guys have... Telekinesis perhaps? _Yawning, she closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**I think I might have done Karen a bit OOC lol  
**

**So she met those lil' guys - for some reason I like calling them Lil' Buddies lol I don't know why either. :P And yes, they have abilities since I've been reading way too much _I Am Number Four_ books lol. Yup! Different :D**

**Not much Gray in this though... :/ I'll fix that though in future chapters ^^  
**

**Oh yea, like I said at the veeery beginning of my whole story, I mixed different games together lol Mainly FoMT/MFoMT and BTN, though later on in the story I might mix AWL/AnWL as well. :)  
**

**Again, I have NO idea when the next chappy will be up, but mark my word, I will try my hardest to get it up as soon as possible. (though I have a pretty good ideal what the next chappy will consist lol)  
**

**Boy, I really haven't a clue what else to say for this particular Author Note lol  
I guess, thanks for reading this chappy! ^^  
Don't forget to click that review button! I don't bite, you know. :P  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Yes, I'm alive... PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! D:  
In the words of The Doctor himself, "I am sorry. I am so so sorry." I really am****!  
Gah... words can't even... ya know, I'll shut up and let you read this looong awaited chapter...you guys waited long enough for it as it is. *runs away in fear***

* * *

"Alright, what episode shall I watch." Claire contemplated while sprawled out on her couch. Fiddling with some of her smooth blonde hair, she soon quickly came to her decision. "I know!" She shot upright and grabbed the remote on her coffee table and chose Partners in Crime. That episode was one of her favorites.

Normally when it was lunch time, she would eat her lunch in her house and watch her television (sometimes at the same time, depending on her schedule) then, once done, head back out into her field to do some more work. Occasionally though she would spend her lunch time in the Inn; but since her brother usually was always busy, she followed her normal schedule.

But this time, things didn't follow the normal schedule.

During the episode she was watching, the farmer heard a knock on the door. "Who could possibly be bugging me at this time?" she muttered to herself as she paused the show. She opened her front door and wasn't too surprised to see who it was. "Ann, what do you-"

"Need to talk—_Oh my goodness_!" Ann barged inside the house, almost knocking Claire down in the process, "Who's _that_ gorgeous man?" she pointed at the television. On the television screen, there was a young dashing man with brown hair.

"Gorgeous?" the blonde questioned while closing her door. The ginger gave her an impatient look, dying to know who the man in the television was. "If you _must_ know that's The Doctor."

"_Liar_! The Doctor wears a bowtie and some suspenders and has a funny looking face." How much the ginger remembered shocked Claire a little.

"Yeah, the _Eleventh_ does; but _that_ one there is the Tenth. The Doctor can change his face whenever he's about to die: 'it's sort of a way of cheating death.' He's the same man but with a new face and personality and stuff like that." Claire explained.

"Girl, how come didn't show us _that_ Doctor last Spring?" Ann asked, completely ignoring some of Claire's explanation on regeneration.

"And have every girl ogling and drooling at the Tenth with a complete disregard of the story? Besides, I think the guys would have been pretty mad if I had shown the Tenth instead of the Eleventh; well actually, it was my brother who turned it on... But come on, you guys got a treat: you all saw the best episode since it came back on air!"

"Are there any other good looking Doctors?" The ginger asked all too eagerly, again disregarding most of what her blonde friend told her.

"Ann, I thought you weren't all into... what's the word I'm looking for—gawking?"

"Hey, when a guy is good looking, he's _good looking_. It has to be mentioned!"

"Riiight." Claire said. She thought Popuri was bad with this kind of stuff—fangirling over every good looking guy, but Ann... no, no, no, Popuri was by a long shot worse than what Ann currently was during. The pink-haired young woman even rivaled her best friend, Kat. The blonde shuddered at the thought of the two of them fangirling at the _same time_.

"Oh don't tell me you don't go all crazy for some _hot_ guys." Ann sat down on a couch then slightly tilted her head, waiting for a response.

"Not screaming, screeching, or freaking out I don't; I really don't find it necessary to do those. No, I enjoy the _hot_ guys on the inside—in a civil matter."

"But secretly you freak out?"

"...How do you know my secret?" The ginger laughed, her braid swinging as she moved. "What brings you here anyways, Ann? The sooner you tell me; the sooner I can get back to watching my show." Claire sat down on the opposite couch.

"Well, excuse me for popping by. Maybe I shouldn't invite you to my birthday party which is in about three days..."

"Ann."

"Kidding! You know you are and always will be invited! So-"

"I'll be there; now I would like to get back to my show, if you don't mind."

"Don't mind me; I'll just sit here and..."

"Ogle?" the blonde finished her friend's sentence.

"Too strong of a word." Claire gave her a _very_ doubtful look. "I would say... admire intently."

"I'm never having Popuri over whenever David Tennant is on my screen... never." Claire sighed. The blonde resumed her show before Ann could add anything else.

It didn't take long for Claire to regret not kicking Ann out. Claire was a type of girl who couldn't stand talking, comments—any noise really—while watching her favorite shows, and Ann did just that. The ginger would ask questions or comment on The Doctor, anything but being quiet.

The farmer couldn't take it anymore. "Ann, I'm sorry, but you have to leave." she said immediately after she paused the show.

"Why?"

"Why? Why? _Why?_ Cause you _won't_ remain quiet! That's why. And when I can't enjoy my show quietly, I get-"

"Cranky?"

"You could say that; now please go." the blonde pleaded, "I barely have enough time as it is to enjoy my show, but interruptions... I just can't stand it!"

"Alright, alright, I know when I'm not wanted..." Ann feigned hurt as she got up and headed towards the door.

"It's not like I don't want you here; it's just... I don't want you here."

"Gee, Claire, that really makes sense."

"Thanks, I try; now please go."

"Fine." the ginger sighed, "Good-bye Mr. _Hot_ Tennant—that is his name, right?" Claire rolled her eyes. Ann's hands slowly reached for the door till she remembered one more thing she had meant to tell Claire. "Oh, before I forget," she twirled around, "there's one more thing I want to say, since we were talking about _hot_ guys."

"We weren't just now."

"But we _were_... were." Ann pointed out, pausing for a bit. "Anyways, guess what?" The blonde could have sworn she saw a mischievous grin creeping on Ann's face.

"Ann, please don't tell me-"

"I'm going to confess my feelings to Cliff on my birthday!" she excitedly told Claire.

"Well, that's ni—wait, what?" The farmer gaped her mouth open, processing what words the waitress had spoken.

"Exciting isn't it? Well I better get go-"

"Wait a minute, are you... are you sure?"

"Course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be?" Ann cocked her head, her braid slightly swinging.

_Cause there's already someone who likes you, and you're too dam blind to see it! _My! How she wanted to say that to her friend! But she couldn't; that and she didn't really have the guts to say it, not that she was entirely allowed. Well, she could; but then she would most likely have to bear listening to a long lecture from her brother of _interfering _in other people's affairs. She certainly wanted to avoid that... for now. "Well, I... what if he doesn't like you back? ...in _that_way that is."

"Dunno." the ginger shrugged her shoulders, "And I'm not going to worry about it since it probably won't happen—you know, him not liking me. I'm quite sure he does! I wouldn't worry about it, Claire." Ann smiled while Claire scrunched her face, unsure of Ann's statement. "See ya! ...Clairey!" Ann quickly dashed out of the house, not bothering to close the door behind her.

Claire didn't even react to the name the ginger had called her. She was still much too shocked by the news. As she closed her front door, she gathered her thoughts. But all she could really think about was her brother, from his reaction to the eventual hurt he would feel. She knew she _had_ to do something, regardless what he had instructed her back in the Spring; but what?

And what about Ann? Claire knew that Cliff didn't really fancy her, at least not in _that_ way. She had observed him once too often and that was her conclusion. But what if she was wrong? What if he really did like Ann _that_ way? If she was wrong, then it would mean pain for her brother; but if she was right, then Ann would experience some pain. Claire didn't want either one of them to get hurt.

Realizing she had been clutching the door handle now for a little bit, the blonde sighed, "I guess I won't be finishing Partners in Crime; I'm not in the mood to finish it right now anyways... might as well continue my chores." _Why do I even talk out loud... it's not like anybody is here._ She tied her hair up in a quick pony tail then exited her house.

She crouched onto the ground, inspecting her tomatoes near her shipping bin; but her mind couldn't stay focused on her crops. Instead, her mind wandered to the first encounter she had with the little creatures which, quite frankly, she didn't know why: it wasn't as if she was thinking about them.

But it was something to keep her mind off the whole Ann situation.

Since the day she encountered the strange creatures, her schedule had not exactly been the same. She tried to visit them at least three times a week, usually around dinner time and sometimes at other times. To her, they were fascinating creatures, and she wanted to learn all she could about them. But she still didn't know what exactly Timid meant when he telepathically communicated with her; but she somewhat had a hunch that whatever it was, it would be amazing; and that sooner or later (as in TV shows), all will be revealed.

"Miss Claire! Miss Claire! Miss Claire!" The farmer quickly snapped out of her thoughts, hearing her name being yelled out. She soon found out the source of the yelling as she toppled onto the ground from the tackle the two children gave her. Luckily, she still had been crouched over; so the fall wasn't hard or far.

"Stu! May!" she exclaimed after hugging them, "What brings you here?" she inquired, still on the ground, but her question was somewhat answered when she saw the local priest heading towards her way.

"Tek Ma Tae, Miss Claire!" the priest greeted, smiling, when he reached her farm, before Stu or May could answer her question.

"Tek Ma Tae—wait, what?" Sudden realization swept onto her face which quickly turned to excitement. "Noooo way! Seriously? You watch it, Carter?" The priest shook his head up and down, still smiling. "So this town isn't _that_ backward like I thought it was..." she mumbled to herself.

"Watch what?" Stu inquired.

"An awesome TV show." the farmer lightly poked his nose. She then continued her conversation with Carter as she stood up, dusting down her overalls, "So, what can I do for ya, Carter?"

"If it isn't too much trouble, could you look after Stu and May? I normally do, but I have a rather pressing matter to attend to."

"We promise we won't be a hassle." May timidly said. "We'll even work, if ya like."

"Says who?" Stu demanded but soon received a swat and a dirty look from May.

Claire laughed at the scene before her, "Course I'll look after them, Carter; it would be no trouble at all. I have a few small tasks I could assign them." she glanced over at Stu.

"See what you did May?"

"Work won't kill ya, Stu." Stu only crossed his arms in a way which reminded the blonde of Gray when he became grumpy; she mentally shook her head, thus getting rid of the image.

"Then I guess I will be heading off now; oh, and before I forget, you will have to take them home. Around five o'clock should do, as long as they are back to their homes for dinner." Carter instructed.

"I'll be sure to do just that." The priest nodded at her then walked off her farm.

The farmer turned her attention to the two children. "Now to implement my evil plan!" she evilly laughed or at least tried. All she got though were blank and confused stares from May and Stu. "Yeah, I've been watching too much TV lately..."

"Could we do that instead?" Stu perked up.

"Sorry, Stu, but I need to work in my field; that and I need to make sure you two don't get into trouble; or there goes my head. Tell you what though: help me pull out some of those unrelenting weeds for a little bit, and you two can play around the farm with Akira. She'll love that." Akira perked her ears up at the mention of her name and headed from her location near the barn towards her mistress.

"We'll do our best, Big Sister. I'll make sure Stu pulls weeds."

"You won't neither! I can make sure myself that I'll pull weeds! I'm a big boy!" He flexed his skinny little arms. "In fact, I'm a man!"

Claire couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Okay, little man, why don't you and May go to the back of the field where the corn is located and start pulling some weeds; they look like this." The farmer pointed at one of the notorious weeds. "Don't pull out anything else but those, okay?" The two children shook their heads, understanding their small task, and soon scampered to do their job with Akira following them at their heels.

The farmer smiled at the children's energy but soon frowned at the state of her field. She had to admit though; her field was looking _a whole lot better_ than it ever had since she arrived. It had practically no rocks or stumps: only a few of them remained. But for some reason, the weeds in her fields just wouldn't go away. "Gonna be glad when I'll be able to plant my whole field with crops..." she sighed to herself, "That way those dam weeds won't have a chance to prosper." She then went back to work, pulling weeds near the fenced off closure.

As Claire fought with a very stubborn deep weed, she caught a glimpse of an excited May and Stu with Akira following running towards the entrance to her farm. She was about to yell out to them but soon fell backwards, her butt hitting the ground, as the weed released it's grip. "Now my butt will be sore for awhile..."

She shot her eyes at her farm's entrance and saw Gray of all people. The two of them briefly exchanged glances before the two children nearly sent him toppling over from their hugs. As a result, his hat tumbled onto the ground, inviting Akira to snatch it away.

And she did then immediately headed towards her mistress.

Claire couldn't help but laugh and hard; that dog enjoyed the blacksmith's hat way too much. She grabbed the hat from her dog, when her dog had gotten closer, and stood up.

Gray slowly dragged himself, as well as Stu who had wrapped his arms around the blacksmith's leg, towards the laughing farmer. May, being a bit more civilized than Stu, walked beside him. "It's really not that funny." He directed his statement towards the still laughing farmer. He dragged his leg to one last step then crossed his arms over his chest.

"It kind of is." Claire said as she tried to stifle her giggles. Realizing that Gray wasn't getting any happier, she slightly recomposed herself and instructed Stu to release his "death grip" on Gray. Stu reluctantly did. "Why don't you two children run along and play with Akira in the pasture with Daisy, Cotton, and Alex." the farmer suggested. "Just make sure Akira doesn't spook them to an extent where they kick her; sometimes she can get _really_ energetic." turning her attention to her dog, she continued, "Ya hear that girl?" Akira barked in response.

"What about Alice?" May meekly asked.

The farmer contemplated before answering, "Tell you what, May." She crouched down to May's level, "You can take Alice out of her coop but make sure that you keep a very close eye on her and that Akira doesn't scare her to death."

"Don't worry, Big Sister; she'll be in safe hands."

"I don't doubt it, May." Claire knew quite well that May was very good with animals. Even animal whisperers would be jealous on May's skill.

The two children soon scampered off with Akira following suit.

"Never underestimate those kids' strength." Gray stated which Claire mentally agreed to. "Now can I have my hat back?"

"It's always the hat, isn't it?" She stood up and chucked the hat at him. "And it's 'may I' not 'can I.'"

"Does it really matter?" He plopped his hat back on.

"It sort of does."

"Whatever." he mumbled as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

Claire sighed and continued the conversation... or lack of one, "Wellll," using her thumb, she pointed at her field, "I'm going get back to my work. Your welcome to stay and... stand there, if ya like." She crouched down where another weed resided and began to work away at it.

It didn't take long for Claire to notice Gray's rather confused face. "I know exactly what you are thinking. You're thinking, 'Why the hell didn't she ask why I came?' I presume that's what's running through your head? Well, I'll answer it: I really don't want to know."

"Is that so?" His tone oozed sarcasm.

"Yeah, I know, shocking and unexpected, eh?" The farmer yanked hard at the weed but it didn't budge, not even the slightest. She lost her grip on the weed and fell to the ground... again. "Dammit! Why are these particular weeds a menace? Others are not _that_ bad. But these... I have never seen or dealt with them before!" Glancing at the still present blacksmith who was trying to conceal a smirk, she came up with an idea, a rather ingenious one. "Oh, Graaaay!"

He rolled his eyes at what was to come. "Let me guess: you want _me_ to pull out the weed for you."

"Well, yeah, if it ain't too much trouble." She took his now outstretched hand, and he helped her up. "You are, after all, _a lot_ stronger than _I am_." she dramatically continued. She thought that adding that last sentence would for sure make the blacksmith uncomfortable; and it seemed she got her desired effect.

"Uhhh..." He pulled the brim of his hat down then made his way toward the weed and began to pull. No matter how hard he pulled though, it didn't budge. It was almost as if the weed and even the soil were taunting him.

Frustration quickly settled within him, but he soon had an idea. He shifted his eyes up at Claire and requested for her hoe. She meekly handed him it, once she retrieved it out of her rucksack. "Why would you need it any-" Observing him digging around the root of the weed, loosening the soil, she then realized what he was doing, "-way..." she trailed off. "Now why didn't I think of doing that?" All that time and she never once had thought of something so obvious.

Once the soil was loose enough to Gray's satisfaction, he yanked the weed out with relative ease. "Yeah, blondie, why didn't you think of it?"

"Oy! Watch it blacksmith!" She placed her hand on her waist. "You don't know how much of an aggravation these weeds really are!"

"Have you considered herbicide?"

"And have Basil all over my ass about it? I don't think so."

"They're weeds, Claire."

"You don't say." she sarcastically remarked then quickly continued, "If I did though, he would probably say that the herbicide is having an ill effect on the Black Lily Orchard... or something on that line."

"Black Lily Orchard?"

"You know what I-"

"Miss Claiiiiire!" a young girl's voice rang, interrupting the farmer's conversation with the blacksmith. "Stu's gonna try to ride Daisy!" The hen squirmed in May's arms from the sudden noise, but the pig-tailed young girl gently reassured her.

"Greaat. Elli warned me that Stu always wanted to ride a cow. Why doesn't this surprise me." She shook her head and dropped her rucksack onto the ground for no reason at all. "You gonna help?"

"Do I have much of a choice?"

The farmer shrugged her shoulders. "It really doesn't matter to me if you do or don't." Walking off, she left Gray to his thoughts but soon noticed he decided to tag along.

"Stu," she said, approaching the two children, "you know you can't ride a cow."

"But Miss Claire!" the young boy protested, "I really want to! How am I going to get into rodeo if I have never ridden a cow?"

"First off, Stu, one rides bulls; bulls are male cows; Daisy is female... though I really need to get a bull if I plan to breed cows..." the sidetracked farmer said.

"Then when you get one, could I ride the bull?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Cause it's rather dangerous, especially for a young boy such as yourself. Well, it's dangerous for anyone really. And your sister would have my head on a platter if I were to."

"I wouldn't tell her—promise!" he crossed his heart.

"Sorry, Stu, the answer still would be no."

A "hmph" noise escaped the young boy as he crossed his arms. "Grown-ups get all the fun..."

"Oh, Stu..." Claire sighed, "If you _really_ want to get into rodeo, why don't you start with something easy?"

"Like what?" He uncrossed his arms. "Mr. Gray?"

"Gray?" Claire tilted her head, slightly taken aback. "What exactly would Gray know about rodeo?"

"A lot more than you think, blondie." The blacksmith now entered the conversation.

The blonde opened her mouth, about retort at his response, but Stu cut in, "Why Mr. Gray was in rodeo one time! And _he_ rode a bull! I wanna be just like him when I grow up!" The young boy grinned, showing his rather crooked teeth.

"Oh really." Claire arched her eyebrows. "Do you really want to be like Gray? Grouchy and anti-social?" Gray shot daggers at the farmer. "What? You know some of it is true, Gray; don't even try to deny it all."

Before Stu could defend his idol, Akira decided to bark profusely which frightened the recently grazing Holstein cow, sending her right into Claire. Claire had expected to hit the ground with a hard thud; but fortunately for her, Gray caught her just before the ground. "Grouchy and anti-social?" he arched his eyebrows.

"Well, I never said all the time." He released his grip on her, knowing she would hit the ground lightly. Her jaw slacked down in shock and annoyance at what he had dared to do, and it didn't help when she saw a smirk plastered onto the blacksmith's face. "So, this is how it's going to be, eh? Akiiira, I think you know what to do, girl."

And she did. She began to herd the Holstein cow and brown horse, much to Gray's puzzlement. He then realized that the two animals were coming nearer and nearer to him. Backing away from them, he looked at the still sitting satisfied farmer, "I don't know what you're trying to-" A stumble over Claire's grazing sheep sent him crashing onto the ground. Cotton turned her head back at the fallen blacksmith then continued to graze, as if nothing had happened.

"Ow..." he moaned as he lay on the ground while giggles originated from the two children watching, "That was downright low... which brings up a question—how the hell did Akira know what to do?"

"I've told you so many times now that I think you already know the answer to that." Claire laughed as she stood up. "Besides," She plopped herself onto his stomach, not exactly caring how much pain he was it, if any. "you totally deserved it."

"As I recall, you started this."

"Maybe."

"Get off me."

"Can't do." She then snatched his hat, much to his protest.

"Give that back, blondie."

"Nope, sorry." Placing his hat on her head then pulling her pony tail through the hole, she continued, "And I'm not until you say the right words... then again, since you called me blondie..."

"Claire..."

"What? You know exactly what you need to say: so say it. Otherwise, I for one, will keep sitting on you wearing your hat till you do; and there's nothing you can do about it." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. "Really?"

"Mmmhmm." But before she could further bask in her accomplishment, the blacksmith somehow managed to roll her onto her back. She squealed at the sudden and unexpected change. And in the background, she heard some gagging and giggling noises. _Stu and May... great. This is _so_ going to become the latest town gossip... every little thing in this town does eventually._ "What are you doing, Gray? Personal bubble here."

"Like I said before: you started this."

"Gooooo."

"Not until I get my hat back."

"Take your stupid hat; you certainly are in a position to." Deciding to take her offer, he grabbed his hat and tried to pull it off of her but couldn't. All it accomplished was tugging her hair. A smirk soon after appeared on her face. "Two steps ahead of ya, Gray. I made sure I securely placed it on my head."

"No problem there, blondie." He reached behind her head, much to her surprise and slight discomfort, and unfastened the back of his hat, enabling him to snatch it without tugging her hair. With hat in hand, he stood up and refastened the back of his hat. He then promptly set it back on it's rightful place, his head.

The blonde sat up, scowling at him. "You think you're pretty smart, don't you." Gray only shrugged his shoulders, reminding her of one character from a TV show. _Great, now I have the urge to watch Stargate... if I didn't before, it's definitely there now. _Getting back to reality, she sighed, "Well, aren't you going to help me up?"

"Was I suppose to?" he arched his eyebrow.

"Gray, just help me up!"

"Fine." He offered his hand out, and she took it, and... well, she yanked him back onto the ground. She got up and looked at the scowling blacksmith. "Did anyone tell you that you're not nice, blondie?"

"As I said before: two steps ahead of ya." she laughed, "Though you could probably say three steps." the farmer turned her attention back to the two young children, "Stu, May, if you two need me, I'll be close by working on the remaining boulders on my field. And Stu, no riding Daisy."

"Yes, Miss Claire." the young boy sighed.

"Claire?"

"Sorry, Gray, I'm not helping you up. Blonde hair doesn't mean I'm dumb or gullible." Claire left Gray to his own devices and headed towards the nearest boulder on her field. On her way, she snatched her rucksack off the ground where she had left it.

Retrieving her hammer out of her rucksack, she prepared to smack the boulder. She smacked it once, twice; but on the third time, some force stopped her in mid-swing and grabbed her hammer from out of her hands. "What the hell, Gray. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Stop overreacting. You're doing it wrong, anyways."

"Ya never complained in the mines."

"Use your head, blondie; it was dark. Now watch closely."

Crossing her arms, Claire reluctantly observed the blacksmith's technique. Much as she hated to admit it, she did learn a bit from him. "Now, you try." he said to her, once he felt she was ready.

"Well, it's about freaking time!" She snatched the hammer out of his hands and prepared herself. She then raised the hammer into the air, ready to crush the boulder in front of her; but again, that same force stopped her in mid-swing. "Now what?" she demanded.

"You're still doing it wrong. This is how you do it." He guided her through each step, occasionally positioning her in the proper stance and hold. This, of course, made her feel rather uncomfortable; it always had in the past. She was sincerely hoping he hadn't and wouldn't notice the small blush creeping on her face. Cause if he did, she swore to herself that she would beat him senseless.

"_Now_ you're ready." he commented after the hammer smacked the boulder.

"Goo-"

"But," he grabbed the hammer out of her hands, _again_, "not today. Go stand somewhere and look... pretty."

Claire glared hard at the blacksmith in front of her. "Of all the jerks I've met... you, Gray, take the cake. And believe me, I've met some whoppers in the city."

"Mmmhmm." He smacked the boulder, ignoring her comment.

Annoyed, Claire stormed where she knew that she was in his vision and, once in his vision, continued to glare at him in the most menacing way she knew how, while her hands rested on her hips. An uneasiness overcame Gray. He stopped hammering and placed the hammer on the ground, leaning on it slightly. "Look, Claire," he began, knowing that if he didn't say at least something to her, she would totally lose it, "I don't want your brother all over my ass if say... you collapsed from exhaustion and landed in the Clinic and if he knew that I could've done something to prevent that. Getting murdered in my sleep is _not_ the way I wanna go." He lifted the hammer again, continuing with his task.

"Then where were _you_ when _I_ destroyed the majority of these boulders? Or even the stumps? No where, that's what! I did those _all by myself _without any help! When will you and Andrew and anybody else learn that I am an independent woman, one who requires no help!"

"Says the woman who asked for _my_ help with a stubborn weed..." he trailed off.

She crossed her arms. "Why are you here, anyways?"

"Thought you said you didn't want to know." he remarked, noticing a crack forming in the boulder he had been hammering at.

"A woman can change her mind if she wishes!"

"Then to answer your question: don't know."

"What do you mean you _don't know?_ Course you know—otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Fine... I came cause the library has recently become cold."

"Cold? Well of course it's_ cold_. Last time I checked, summer tends to be hot; so..."

"Not in that sense—let me rephrase." He paused, thinking on the right words to say. "Mary's been acting non-Mary like... more distant than she usually is and snappy a bit." Gray said dryly while still hammering away at the rock.

"Snappy?"

"Yeah. The library is not a place I want to be right now."

"Still doesn't really answer my question; you could've gone to the Inn instead of _here_."

"And have to endure that annoying waitress? I rather kill myself..."

"Well, whatever..." the somewhat frustrated farmer sighed and threw her hands up into the air, finding it pointless to even continue the conversation, "I'll be _weeding—_since you 'intervened' so to say. If you need me, holler." She headed towards the nearest batch of weeds then soon began the daunting task.

_That dam blacksmith... Who the hell does he think he is?_ she thought to herself while ripping weeds out one by one. To her surprise, they were coming out easier—a lot easier. _Though when I think about it, no one in the city ever cared or bothered with my business, except for Kat and Kale and the occasional stalker. Guess it's not _that_ bad, but still... Gray of all people? Then again, nothing should surprise me at this point._

Though one thing did somewhat surprise her: Mary's attitude. The once timid, gentle librarian was suddenly cold and snappy? Why? There was no reason for her to be, at least to Claire there wasn't. _Then again, I would be too if I had to see Gray practically everyday._ But that didn't answer why Mary was a bit snappy with her on the day of the Tomato Festival. "Just what the hell is with her?" the farmer unconsciously mumbled. "I certainly didn't do anything, and I'm pretty sure that dam blacksmith didn't either. Though it wouldn't surprise me if he did."

_Maybe she's just going through some... stuff._

She sighed as she stopped weeding for a bit. Her eyes glanced up and caught sight of a jacketless blacksmith already working on another boulder. _So he _does_ take it off. I was beginning to wonder if it was permanently attached to him... Who the hell wears a jacket in the summer anyways?_she chuckled to herself, answering her own question, _Gray, that's who._

The sun relentlessly continued to beat down on the farmer as the afternoon progressed. To make matters worse, there were absolutely no clouds in the bright blue sky in which to provide at least some cover from the sun. Oh yeah, there was the shade of her apple tree; but it wasn't as if Claire had the luxury to recline underneath there. She was a farmer, not some... slacker. Though if the opportunity presented itself, she would definitely jump at the chance to sprawl underneath the shade of her apple tree and just relax—either that or enter her nicely air-conditioned house and watch some television. _Definitely the latter._

"Claire?" a gruff voice interrupted the farmer's work and train of thought.

"What?" she replied while she tried to swat a fly away from her face.

"Got the time?" Gray asked, resting the hammer on his shoulder.

"Uh, hang on." She looked at her left arm where her watch resided. "It's ten after five... wait, what? _Ten_ after _five_?" Thinking she had misread her watch, she quickly checked it again; but it wasn't the case. "Dammit, I gotta get Stu and May back to their homes. Aww, but I gotta shove my animals back into the barn, and I don't exactly have the time since I was told to have Stu and May at their homes around five."

"It _is_ around five."

"But twenty minutes later, it _won't_ be around five."

"Then I guess you better get started."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, _we_ better get started: _you_'re helping too, Mr. Rodeo. This way, it'll go twice as fast; and maybe—just maybe—I'll be able to get those two back to their homes on time... and, well, if you're going to make a habit of coming here, I'm putting you to work."

"Woman... you confuse the hell outta me." Gray commented, now partially leaning on the hammer he was still in possession of.

"Good." Claire said as she approached him. "It's more fun that way." She snatched the hammer away from him, causing him to stumble. Once she stuffed her hammer back into her rucksack, she then commenced on leading her animals into her barn with the help of Gray, Stu, and May shortly afterward.

Once the animals were safely back into their habitats, Claire checked her watch again then bulged her eyes out. Things apparently didn't go as fast as the farmer thought it would have gone with three other people helping. Then again, her Holstein cow had been quite stubborn. But nothing could be done about that now; what happened, happened. All Claire could do was get the two children back to their homes as quickly as she could.

Her first stop was May's home or as it was well known as, Yodel Ranch. The farmer apologized to Barley for being somewhat late, but Barley merely brushed it off and told her that the time was perfectly fine. The elderly man gave her a friendly smile to further reassure her; but then it turned to a "oh, I see" kind of smile when he glanced at Gray, who had decided to tag along "just cause." Claire wrapped up their conversation, since she still had to take Stu home, then waved goodbye to Barley and May as she and her two companions left for Stu's place.

"Well, we're here Stu." the blonde-haired farmer remarked as they arrived in front of his place.

"I guess I'll be having dinner soon, huh..." the young boy sighed heavily.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when you don't get what you want. All Elli serves is healthy stuff—like vegetables! Horrible, yucky vegetables!"

"A young boy needs his vegetables though, Stu, so that he can grow up big and strong."

"Twenty-four seven? Cause that's all I get: vegetables, vegetables, vegetables!"

"I think you may be exaggerating about that." Claire finally knocked on the door. "Your sister just wants you to grow up healthy and have a good long life, that's all."

"Can a person die from over-healthiness?"

Claire couldn't help but slightly chuckle but soon was cut off as the door opened, revealing a rather exhausted nurse. "Don't mind me: it's been a really long day."

"I know the feeling." the farmer empathized with her.

"Come in, Stu: dinner's ready; and before you start complaining, I made your favorite."

Stu perked up at the very mention of his favorite and shoved his way into the house. He took a deep breath, enjoying every moment. "Alright! _Finally_, we're having... how the hell did you manage to get the doc over for dinner?" he inquired as he finally noticed the doctor at the table.

"Stu!" Elli was rather shocked at what came out of her brother's mouth and quickly gave a disapproving look at the two adults in front of her. "Claire, Gray."

"It might have slipped out?" Claire unsurely said while Gray acted as if he was on another planet.

"See that it doesn't again in future." Claire nodded her head up and down a little too much in response. "Well," Elli continued, reverting back to her natural sweetness, "why don't the two of you come and join all of us for dinner as a thanks for looking after and bringing back Stu. We have plenty, and my grandmother wouldn't mind at all."

"Oh yes, dearie, why don't the two of you join us? I do enjoy the company." Elli's grandmother spoke out from where she sat.

Claire began to play around with her pony tail. "Um, well, I, uh, I uh..." She debated with herself on whether or not she should accept or decline. Accepting would possibly place her in a very undesired situation, but more specifically awkward. And to decline could be interpreted as being rude, which she certainly didn't want to appear that way. She had no idea what to decide or even how to respond.

"Can't Elli. We were already planning on eating at the Inn tonight." the blacksmith responded for the pondering Claire.

"We did?" the now puzzled farmer asked. Gray raised his eyebrows; she then quickly realized what was going on. "Oh yeah, now I remember! Silly me! I'm always forgetting stuff. Kat's said in the past that if my head wasn't screwed on, I probably would forget that." she laughed nervously. "Sorry, Elli."

"That's perfectly alright with me." Elli smiled. "You two enjoy the rest of this evening."

"You too, Elli." Both Gray and Claire exchanged goodbyes with Elli then headed towards the Inn.

"Words cannot express how thankful I am to you, Gray." Claire spoke up during the walk.

"For what?"

"Duh, back there."

The blacksmith merely shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing at all. "Here I thought you were referring to all the hard labor I did on your farm today..." he trailed off.

Claire halted from walking which in turn caused Gray to do so as well out of curiosity. She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "I never forced you to help."

"Back there you didn't either."

"Completely different scenario."

"I fail to see the difference."

"Oh, there is a difference. I just simply don't have the time to explain." She uncrossed her arms. "Anyways, I gotta get going; so I guess I'll see ya around."

"Where to?" he asked, puzzled, as soon as she started walking.

She stopped yet again and turned around. "Home to eat... are you my mother or something?"

"I thought maybe... nevermind." Gray fumbled with the brim of his hat.

She stared at him, studying him, then quickly realized what he was getting at. "Wait, you mean _actually_ eat at the Inn?"

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Why not? It would reaffirm the story we told Elli."

_True._ she thought to herself, _And prevent more gossip... as if that was really possible._ "You and me?" she eventually spoke, biting her bottom lip in uncertainty.

"Nothing wrong with that, Claire. Two friends eating at the Inn is normal around here... plus Cliff, since he mostly likely will be around."

"Fine. We are already in front of the Inn anyways..." she trailed off. She still was uncertain of the whole idea, mainly because of a certain ginger-haired waitress who shall not be named; but at the same time, it was sort of logical to her... that and she was hungry.

They both entered the Inn and immediately were greeted by an overly ecstatic ginger waitress. Claire only rolled her eyes at her friend's antics while Gray decided to quickly sneak off to where Cliff was sitting at. The young blacksmith certainly didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with an over-the-top waitress.

"Claire?" Ann excitedly said when she knew Gray was out of earshot.

"No, absolutely not." And so began the small argument on whether or not eating with Gray (and Cliff) was in fact a _date _in disguise. Ann insisted that it indeed was a date, which in turn, made her quite overjoyed over the fact that _finally_ it was happening. Claire, on the other hand, denied it strongly and tried the best she could to convince Ann that it was just "two friends hanging out... plus Cliff." She even added that she was hungry anyways. Ann didn't buy it one bit, but reluctantly gave up, which made Claire the victor... or so the blonde thought. The ginger still hanged onto her original theory and nothing in the world would or even could convince her otherwise.

Thinking that the whole little misunderstanding was over, Claire enjoyed her meal and even had a rather decent conversation with Cliff. She wanted to glean all she could on whether or not Cliff had feelings for Ann or not... of course, in a very sly manner—she had no desire on being obvious about it. After all, both Ann and Andrew were nearby. But Andrew slowly kind of caught on what she was trying to do; and needless to say, he wasn't exactly happy about it by the way he glared at his sister. Claire merely waved at him in a teasing matter.

But soon trouble came to knock at Claire's door, and that trouble was Kai approaching her and her two companions. "Yo, Claire! How is my favorite lady farmer?" he asked, completely ignoring Cliff and Gray.

The farmer rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine... until you decided to _grace_ _us_ with your presence." she sarcastically remarked.

"Now _that's_ gotta sting." Andrew mumbled to himself as he was cleaning a nearby table.

But the only thing Kai heard was _fine_. "My favorite gal is only fine? Somehow, I doubt that." he winked at her.

"_Your gal_? Kai, Kai, Kai. My dear Kai." she started off, shaking her head, "I _am_ and _never will be_ your gal... or anyone's for that matter. I am an independent woman." the blonde-haired farmer remarked then picked up her drink. The blacksmith across from her almost choked on his food when she said that last sentence. She glared at him as she was drinking her water.

"Maybe not now." the purple bandana wearing flirt countered which caused her to choke on her water, sending her into a coughing fit. Nearby, Andrew nearly ripped the table he was cleaning in half.

As soon as Claire stopped coughing, Kai continued stirring the pot some more so to say. "So... you two on a date or something?" he asked mainly his good friend, Gray. Again, Claire was drinking her water; and again she choked on it; but this time, it was more of a spit take which fortunately didn't hit anyone. Gray, however, sent daggers at his tanned friend, thinking of ways of getting back at him. Naturally, Kai _had_ to flash the most goofiest grin ever, which certainly didn't help matters.

The farmer had enough of Kai's behavior and just everything that was going on. "Kai," she managed to calmly say, "rumor has it that you've been going to the library. Quite a bit actually—more than perhaps Gray has. And that same rumor also says that it ain't for the books... or is it for the books?"

"Kai? Books?" Ann butted into the conversation which she may or may have not been listening into. "Kai wouldn't even know what to do with a book if it hit him over the head. It's like saying Andrew has a chance of beating me in Scrabble."

"When you don't cheat!" Andrew entered the conversation since he had been introduced into it.

"I do not cheat."

"Yeah, you do; I _know_ you, Ann."

"Then obviously you don't know me well enough." she remarked as she headed towards the kitchen.

"I know you well enough to know that you cheat at Scrabble." Andrew said as he followed her since he was done cleaning the particular table that he had been working on. "I still wanna rematch!"

"Ha! And give you the satisfaction of one? I don't think so." And that was all Claire and the three young men with her could hear.

"Well then..." Claire began, "That was sort of on the awkward side. So Kai, getting back to my question..." she trailed off.

"I, uh, I, uh, I, uh, well, um..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I sort of have something in the oven at my Snack Shack. I'll be seeing ya, man." With that, he scampered out of the Inn.

The three young adults looked at one another, puzzled at this new Kai. They blinked once, twice, then started to laugh their heads off. And yes, even Cliff laughed. "Of all the years I've seen and known Kai, I have _never_ seen him like that, _ever_." the blacksmith managed to say.

"I never thought it _would_ happen to a guy like that." the blonde-haired farmer added, trying to stifle some laughs but ultimately failing. "Anywho guys, I gotta go. Thanks for putting up with me. I actually didn't have a bad time." Claire paid for her food, exchanged her final goodbyes for the evening to Gray and Cliff, then headed for the Inn's exit.

But a familiar voice stopped her before she could even open the Inn's doors. "Claire, wait up!"

For a minute, she thought it was somebody else; but then quickly shoved the thought aside, thinking of it as utter and complete nonsense. She turned around and saw her brother running towards her. She released her recently held breath, something that she didn't even realized she even was doing. "Aaand?"

"And I'm taking you home." Before Claire had the chance to even protest, he quickly continued, "Let's just say it's my lame way of trying to make up all the times I was really busy working here in the Inn anytime you came around. Oh, and yes, Doug gave me permission... after I begged pathetically." How could she possibly protest now?

She shrugged her shoulders as they both exited the Inn.

About half way to her farm, Claire spoke up, "Thank you, Andrew."

He gave her a small smile. "Don't even mention it, sis. What are big brothers for?" He grabbed her shoulders, giving her a half bear hug, then ruffled her hair. She rolled her eyes, trying to look annoyed, but failed miserably.

_Home._ she thought as she saw her house. _It's not merely just a building: it's wherever my brother is... and yeah, even the people of this strange but cooky town.  
_

* * *

**I hope this extra long chapter which had a quite a bit of Gray in it at least made up for that long wait... even though this is probably terrible!  
And yes, more references - like Stargate! Yeah! :D**

**Gosh, I just haven't been able to FREAKIN concentrate! No joke right there D: I know it's not really an excuse, but I'm sticking with it :P**  
**I do appreciate the reviews I have gotten since I last updated though - THANK YOU PEOPLE! You make me happy :3 and actually, I was going through again some of the reviews, and it quite frankly lit a small fire under my butt, enabling me to FINALLY finish this chapter here. So I do thank EVERYONE. (I'll probably write now every reviewers name every chapter ending either in a 5 or 0... depending on me lol or just simply at the end of each season in this story)  
... that and sometimes when I read other fan fics or just read, it inspires me - but not as nearly as much as those reviews!**

**I had this whole speech in my head that I was planning on typing here to *try* to explain myself and such, but quite frankly, I forget half of it lol  
So I'll just say that, I really REALLY will try my absolute best to get 17 up asap - but I can't guarantee anything :/**

**I REALLY thank everyone you out there for being patient and all - you guys really are the best! I'm extremely flattered you guys even read any of this :3**


	17. Chapter 17

**Bit shorter on the wait than last time... xD but still... no excuse really.. xD  
Oh, but I might have a job now! :D Sooo, just a bit of heads up.  
Alright, you will find that there are pleeenty of references here - I really couldn't resist. Anytime I can place a reference to a favorite TV show of mine, I do it ^^  
So, I hope you enjoy this one. :) (and all the others of course lol)**

* * *

"Come on, Daisy!" the blonde-haired farmer whined, "I don't have the time for this!" Claire pushed the stubborn Holstein cow yet again. "You. Are. Going. Outside. If. It's. The. Last. Thing. I. Do!" she exasperated.

Again, no movement from the cow, unless a _moo_ counted.

"Oh for the love of all that is sci-fi! Get your lazy ass moving, you dam cow!" the farmer hollered, frustration seeping it's way through her body, "Like come on, it's a perfect day for you to be happy and grazing and having fun and do whatever the hell you do. Cotton and Alex are out there already, probably having a blast; so get your ass moving and join 'em!" The cow turned her head and stared at the farmer as if she was assessing what the farmer had said. Then, much to Claire's shock, the cow simply trotted outside.

Blinking almost every second, Claire stood and watched as Daisy continued her way into the enclosure where her fellow livestock friends were. The blonde soon regained her composure then quickly slammed the wooden gate, ensuring that it was secured so that neither her horse, sheep, or cow could open it. She stared at the gate, not knowing exactly what to think of what just occurred, but soon started her way back to her house. _I've got crazy animals_.

When she was inside her house, she ripped open her bedroom door. "Time to dress up for the partay! Which," she glanced over to her alarm clock on her nightstand then nearly bulged her eyes out, "I'm gonna be late if I don't hustle it!" she panicked.

She quickly slipped into her outfit—black boots, dark jeans with a brownish, greenish belt, and a plain army green t-shirt—which she chose the night before. At first glance, one would never have guessed Claire to be going to a party, especially since her main accessory was a fake, middle-sized gun. A convention would have been the first and logical conclusion, if one knew her; but since that obviously wasn't the case, the next best conclusion would have been a costume party.

And that was exactly the type of party Claire was going to, except it was also Ann's birthday party _and_ there was no theme: just dress up whomever you want. (Naturally, she _had_ to dress up as a character from one of her favorite sci-fi shows.)

After tying her hair in a pony tail in a way where the elastic couldn't be seen, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time then exited out her house, heading for the Inn. As soon as she arrived and opened the Inn's doors, she felt the immediate cool breeze against her face and bare arms. It was a nice feeling, considering outside was fairly hot out. She looked around and immediately saw her brother. "Hello, brother." she greeted him as if she was in character of whom she had dressed up as. She really couldn't resist.

Her brother, instead of greeting her back, straight away told her that he was beginning to wonder whether or not she would even come to the party. She lightly rebuked him for that then switched the topic to something a little more important to her: his choice of outfit, an outfit in which she was quite familiar with: the ever so famous burgundy bowtie, tweed jacket, red fez accompanied by burgundy suspenders, white collared shirt, dark-colored trousers, and black boots. But she knew it well as the Eleventh Doctor's outfit or one of his many.

As she pointed out his outfit, he pointed out her Jenny costume and commented how she even included the gun. The discussion of outfits soon led to a conversation about the actual show; and the subject: the flamboyant River Song, a sensitive subject as the conversation progressed. One could say it was an argument, not a barbaric one though but rather a civil one on whether or not River is married to The Doctor. The argument immediately stopped when Ann mysteriously popped by, lightly scolded them for even talking about the show at _her_ party, and told them to, instead, mingle around.

The siblings remained expressionless as the ginger bounced her way towards some of her guests. "You need to tell her." Claire broke the silence as she readjusted the strap to her fake gun on her shoulder.

"Not you too..." her brother mumbled.

"What?" Claire scrunched her face in confusion. Had somebody else told him that too? When Andrew brushed the topic off, she knew he was hiding something and wanted to know what it was right at that minute. And she made sure her body language conveyed that to her brother. Reluctantly, he told her about the interesting yet unusual conversation he had with Karen, Mary, Popuri, and Elli (mainly with Karen though). _Now that is strange._ she thought after he told her but quickly spoke out loud saying that they are right even if she found it peculiar that they would even say that to him.

Then in her mind the question on whether or not to tell him what Ann had had told her a few days ago surfaced. Should she? Or should she not? At that moment she couldn't care less if her brother got mad at her or not: to her, his happiness was on the line. Therefore, she quickly decided that she would. This decision and her thinking all took place within a few seconds; but to her, it seemed an eternity.

He grew silent when she broke the news to him but finally spoke up to at least say something. "I thought I told you not to interfere."

"I'm not; I'm simply telling you what she told me. That's not interfering at all... well in my books it ain't. I just don't want you to be alone."

"I got you, don't I?"

"Yeah, but you know exactly what I mean." Claire gave her big brother a small hug then wandered off to mingle around a bit before lunch, leaving him with his thoughts.

The first person who caught her eyes was Mary, the one person who she currently didn't understand. As far as Claire knew, she had done nothing to Mary or anything that would upset her. _Maybe... maybe I should at least try to start up a conversation. It wouldn't hurt... would it?_ "Hey, Mary." the blonde greeted as she approached the librarian.

"Claire." The librarian's voice certainly wasn't warm and inviting.

"How's it going?" the blonde tried again, clutching or rather gripping her fake gun. In a way, it helped Claire from hauling off and smacking the librarian straight. She did, after all, had promised herself not to get upset at whatever was eating Mary. But slowly, her patience was wearing off.

"Fine." Mary replied dryly. "Now if you don't mind, I rather you leave now."

The farmer's patience officially broke at that point.

"Okay Mary, just what the hell is your problem? Just... what did I do for you to treat me in this fashion? Ever since the Tomato festival, you've been acting... acting non-Mary like; and it's starting to piss me off. If you have a problem with me, say it to my face! Doing what you have been doing—it's slowly driving me nuts here!" Claire ranted, her voice slowly getting louder as she spoke. Surprisingly, her rant didn't catch another person's attention.

Startled, Mary remained quiet. "What, the quiet game now? You know, I really don't have the time to deal with this nonsense. I just thought I would come over and at least _try_ to be nice; but obviously, _that_ was a mistake. Sorry to bother you." Claire turned around and started to walk away.

"It's not you." the librarian quickly said before Claire had the chance to move a few feet.

"What?" the farmer asked, turning around. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Can we first go to an area of this room with less people? I don't exactly want anyone eavesdropping." the timid librarian continued.

Claire blinked at her then immediately agreed. "So?" she spoke up as soon as she knew no one had a good chance to eavesdrop.

"It's not you-"

"Yeah you said that."

"Let me please finished." The farmer nodded in acknowledgment. "It's... it's the rumors."

"Rumors?"

"Rumors, gossip, that kind of stuff. Everyone around town is practically saying _something_ about it."

"You've completely lost me here, Mary. Spill it out in English. I can't take the whole cryptic message thing. Like yeah, I like a good mystery but-"

"Practically everyone in this town is saying that you and Gray are 'perfect' for each other. They want you and Gray to hook up..." Mary interrupted Claire, slightly saddened, "That kind of thing."

"_What?_" Claire gasped out, taken aback on the 'big news.' "Who would even come with that... it was Ann, wasn't it... wait... not the issue here—you actually took to heart those 'rumors'? Mary! I thought you of all people... just what exactly possessed you?"

"They are sort of right-"

"Wait just a minute there, Mary. Don't even finish that statement. Let me make this clear to you: I have _no_ interest in that guy in _that_ way. None, nada, zip. As far as I'm concerned, he's all yours for the taking."

"...How come he's been going to your farm recently then?"

"You sort of drove him there..." The now quiet librarian nodded in understanding. "But don't worry: I make him work." Claire tried lightening the whole mood of the conversation, not knowing whether she did or didn't. "Mary, I-"

"Claire, I need to show you something before I end up forgetting again." a rather cheerful voice interrupted the conversation, a voice which Claire immediately recognized as Ann's, "So, come on!" Ann continued, dragging the farmer away from Mary.

"Remember: all yours." Claire shouted out to Mary, which made her somewhat smile.

"What's all mine?" Ann asked, thinking that the statement was for her.

"Wasn't talking to you, Ann."

"Oh."

Ann continued to drag Claire until they both arrived in the ginger's room. "Alright, Ann. Are you going to tell me why you dragged me here?"

"Like I said: I wanna show you something." Ann replied as she closed her door.

"Okay... what is it exactly then?"

"Patience." the ginger replied again, walking towards her book shelf. "Now where the hell did I leave it last?" she mumbled to herself as she searched her bookshelf. "Oh yeah, that's right." Practically ransacking her nightstand, Ann soon found what she was looking for. "This." she exclaimed, showing the object to Claire.

"A remote controller?" the blonde began, "To-"

Before Claire had the chance to finish, Ann pushed one of the buttons on the controller; and immediately, the room began to change. The bookshelf Ann previously searched turned around into the wall, revealing many screens with switches and buttons. The area now looked almost like a workstation. The wall opposite of Ann's bed yet near the bookshelf revealed even more screens with more switches and buttons. Each screen, as Claire later found, out were all touch sensitive.

The agape Claire continued to survey the room, soaking it all in. It was then when she noticed that behind her, under the door way, was another screen. "What..." she rasped out. She cleared her throat and tried again, "What is all of this?"

"This is my lair." The blonde blinked. "Okay maybe not exactly: it's what I use to keep tabs on people and everything around here. Hang on, I'll turn them on." The ginger pressed another button on the controller which then turned all the screens on, revealing something Claire didn't know how to respond to.

"Ann?"

"Yeah?"

"Why you have the _whole_ town under surveillance? There isn't a place in this town that I _don't_ see on screen, save maybe the insides of other people's homes. At least you have the decency not to include those... at least from what I've seen."

"How else am I suppose to know everything in this town?" the ginger countered.

"You're not su-" Claire stopped in mid-sentence, narrowing her eyes at one of the screens on the wall beside her. Her eyes immediately widened once she recognized a familiar site. "Dammit, Ann. Why the hell you have my place under surveillance?" Claire raised her voice. Ann shrugged her shoulders. "You know," she pointed at the screen, "I'm taking those cameras down; and _you_, Ann, aren't going to put up any more at my place... _ever_. If I find out that you decided to replace them, lets just say _everyone_ in this town will know about your little 'lair.'"

"I know... I knew you would ask me that when I decided to show you all of this. It's a price I'm willing to pay. But you gotta admit: this stuff is _awesome_!"

"Yeah, it is pretty awesome." Claire smiled. "Anyways, where did you get all of this stuff? And how did you manage to install all of it without you dad knowing about it... or anyone else for that matter."

"Ehhh, I know a guy who knows a guy." Ann shrugged her shoulders. "And the guy who knows _the_ guy sort of has a thing for me; so it was rather easy convincing the guy to convince _the_ guy." Claire shook her head, trying to comprehend what her dear friend was saying. "As for the latter... loooong story. Lets just say, it's just as hard as it sounds."

"Hmm. I assume that the guy who knows _the _guy lives in the city."

"Of course. Where else would he live?"

"Hmm."

"That's all you have to say?" the ginger blinked.

"Well, I did say everything was awesome."

"Yeah, but... I was kind of expecting a different reaction. Like 'Oh my goodness!' then a faint, since I _know_ you have a thing for technology."

"Well, you had me dumbfounded. Is that good enough?"

"I guess it'll do."

"Oh, Ann." Claire chuckled.

A rap on the door startled the two women. Ann frantically pushed another button which sent everything back into its place. Luckily, Ann had made sure that in emergencies such as this that the sound, when everything retracted back to it's rightful place, was quiet. "It's open!" Ann hollered, adrenaline kicking into her system.

"Ann, get your ass out here." the person opened the door. It was Karen. "Your dad wants to serve lunch pretty soon—like _really_ soon. And I don't want to have to wait for the 'birthday girl.'"

"Gee, Karen, do you have to be condescending about it? I'll be there when I'll be there."

"Well, it better be soon, like _now_." Karen left, leaving the door open.

"Alright! We're coming, geez!" Ann said, heading for the main part of the Inn. Claire followed close behind.

Once back inside to where the guests were, Ann and Claire separated: Claire headed towards a table where a lonely miserable Gray resided while Ann decided to scare Popuri for the fun of it, getting the results she wanted. Claire sighed as she plopped herself in a chair beside Gray. She hanged her fake gun on her chair.

"What'd you want?" the miserable blacksmith glowered.

"Boy, Gray, aren't we the life of the party. I'm sure everyone rants and raves how awesome you are at parties. Why so miserable?"

"What do you think?" His mood remained the same.

The farmer scrutinized him then soon realized what it may had been. "Aww, Gray don't like his outfit." she said in her baby voice.

"And the party." he muttered out the missed fact, emphasizing each word.

"Well, the party I expect." she resumed her normal voice. "Now the outfit... how can _anyone_ _not_ like it? Reminds me a lot of some of The Doctor's outfits over the years like the First's, Thrid's, and Eighth's—more the Eighth's though." She paused for a brief second then used a British accent. "It is very posh."

"Always have to bring it back to that show now, don't ya blondie."

"Well," she snatched his _UMA_ hat off his head, despite his protests, "yeah."

"Give the hat back now, blondie." the hatless Gray demanded.

"No. You called me _blondie_ for starters—_twice_ too. And you _know_ how I don't like that. Besides, it was ruining your outfit's look. And I'm _not_ going to allow that to happen. Be glad it was me and not my friend Kat: she would have flipped out if she was here. And flipping out is an understatement of what she would really do."

"Just give it back."

"Nope." She plopped the hat onto her head, pulling her pony tail through the hole in the back of it. "Doesn't do a thing for your outfit, but mine it doesn't matter since I'm basically in causal attire."

"I don't care if it doesn't. It wasn't even my idea to put this ridiculous outfit on—that was Gramps' idea. I don't even know what the hell possessed my Gramps to force me to wear this."

"Count your blessings, Gray. At lest you aren't in lederhosen like Stu is. I feel bad for that kid."

"You... do have a point." Gray mumbled, slouching in his chair, defeated.

"Of course I do."

Lunch soon was served to everyone. Like usual, Doug had cooked way more than what was needed; but nobody complained. Doug's cooking, after all, was the best in Mineral Town; and that was obvious the way people lit up the room with their smiles after taking just a bite.

Amongst all the eating and talking though, Claire was unsure on how to deal or handle her present situation. Before any lunch was served, _both_ Trent and Elli came over to the table where Claire and Gray were sitting at and joined them. Now over the course of her stay in Mineral Town, the farmer had done her absolute best on avoiding the local doctor, with a few minor hiccups along the way. It seemed though as if the "hiccups" just kept on coming, regardless of her actions.

The situation became somewhat awkward at times as time progressed; but when an unimaginable question was asked Claire, it escalated. Both Claire and Gray couldn't believe what they heard with their own ears. Actually, Claire was more horrified at the fact that the doctor asked her _in front_ of Elli. It was a good thing she was done her lunch and dessert; otherwise, her appetite would have disappeared.

But that poor, poor nurse...

Elli was absolutely stunned on what she had heard and somewhat hurt by it too. Her face slowly dropped, her eyes distant from reality. Her piece of cake she still had to eat lost it's appeal. Crying was something she wanted to do but was determined not to at the moment. Just... how could he? One thing was for sure though: she wanted to flee from the table.

All this didn't go unnoticed by the farmer.

Before Claire could reply to the question, nevermind think about it, Elli excused herself from the table. Claire soon followed behind, saying that—well, her words stumbled on that part. She ended up just following Elli, much to the confused men.

"Elli?" Claire gently spoke once she caught up with Elli. Not many people were around them.

"Claire, I don't..." the young nurse started, still somewhat hurt. She fidgeted with her dirndl. "Why? Why would he ask you that? In front of _me_? I... I just don't understand."

"Cause he's a jerk, that's why. For some dam reason, he can't see that you are absolutely madly in love with him."

"It's really that obvious?" Elli slightly blushed.

"Quite. Well, that and after my first meeting with Ann when I arrived here, she came over and told me every single piece of gossip she could think of. She was basically telling me that all the available guys are 'taken' here, throwing in a bonus fact that my arrival could change things. You know how Ann likes to talk." The farmer paused for a bit then continued. "Well, I should probably return and bluntly tell him off."

"No."

"No what?"

"Don't say no to him. Accept his request on seeing the fireworks with him near the end of Summer."

Claire stared at her friend in disbelief, blinking now and then. _Did I just hear right?_ The farmer couldn't form any words and tried to determine if Elli was serious. Turned out she was. _What the hell Elli... someone clearly has been eating out of the crazy bowl._

"Just do it, please." Elli added, since Claire couldn't say anything.

Claire stared at her again, trying to read what was going on in her head but gave up. "Alright. Fine. Sure hope you know what you're doing though... You coming?"

"No, it's best that I don't." Her smile faltered. "Have to make sure Stu doesn't get into too much trouble anyways. Once the cake starts to settle in him, he'll be climbing walls."

"Alright. Suit yourself..." the blonde gave up. "Speaking of cake though... can I have yours?"

The nurse stifled a laugh. "Sure. I didn't touch it."

"Alright. Thanks! See ya around, Elli."

"You too, Claire."

Claire walked back to where she originally sat, still in relative shock of the whole situation. _For a small town, it sure seems to love it's drama. And it certainly feels like I'm in one._

"Just where the hell did you two run off to?" the hatless man interrupted her thoughts as she arrived at the table.

She sat down. "It's really none of your concern, Gray. Now Doc," she then turned her attention to the other man.

"Like I said Claire: call me Trent."

"Yeah, whatever... I... I accept your offer." the blonde sighed, not knowing what else to say next.

"That is very good news." the doctor replied, his face trying to smile. It was clear that he was somewhat out of practice. He resumed his normal expression (which really wasn't much of one).

Just when the farmer thought the situation couldn't get anymore complicated, her brother decided to sit down on the empty chair, not even greeting his new company. Claire glared at him for not at least saying "hello" but soon sensed that something was troubling him. She had a pretty good idea what it was too, considering he was staring at the ginger-haired waitress. _It's best that I just leave him alone. Something will click in his head; that I'm pretty sure on._

Claire sighed as awkward silence filled the area where they all were. She stared at her brother since no one at her table had any desire to start a conversation, not even her. It didn't take long for her to get lost in her thoughts, anything from her farm to the town's drama. Though, she mainly thought about her farm, wondering what crops needed to be harvested soon and replanted. She even wondered if Daisy was old enough to participate in the upcoming Cow Festival but doubted it since she was relatively young still.

Then something jolted her back to the present. "Look after my fez, will ya sis?" her brother spoke up, chucking his fez at her. She caught it then tried to speak to him but couldn't: he had already headed towards his destination.

"What was that all about?" Gray suddenly spoke.

"Beats me." the blonde lied. She had some idea, since her brother had headed upstairs with Ann, but really had no desire to share it. Trent leaned forward in his chair, propping his head with the palm of his hand all while observing her. She quickly grew uncomfortable. "What?" she directed the question to him.

"I am going to take a wild guess here, but I think you know more than what you are saying."

"Are you saying that I'm a liar?"

"The eyes deceive no one."

"Not if they are trained to deceive."

"Somehow I don't think yours are."

"Well... whatever." Claire said, flustered. She had no witty comeback. She had to admit though: she did enjoy the little back and forth banter with the doctor.

The doctor actually gave a little chuckle. "I thought so." he stated. He straightened in his chair, clearing his throat. "Please excuse me now," he resumed his doctor mode and stood up, "I have not spoken with Lillia yet today and would like to before the day ends. I bid you good day." He bowed then left the table.

_Maybe he's not _that_ creepy._ Claire's thoughts began to wander while Gray stared off into space._ Still won't beat The Doctor in my books though, but still... he could be really nice... when he's not poking holes into people._

_**So, we're developing a little crush on the doctor now, aren't we, eh?**_

_I never said anything to indicate that..._

_**Seems that way.**_

_Where the hell were you? Hmm? I expected you to pop up at many different times, but you never did. And now of all times you decide to speak up. What the hell is with that?  
_

_**Changing the subject, are we.** **Wait... you missed me? AWWW! That's adorable!**_

_Oy... why do I have to have an abnormal conscience... sooo convinced you're not my conscience but rather an annoying voice in my head._

_**Is there really a difference?**_

"'Good _riddance_, I say." Gray muttered, snapping Claire back to the real world.

The farmer sighed. "Now what's your problem, Gray. Got some quarrel with the Doc?"

"Is it any of your business?"

"I could ask you the same thing, you know." Claire crossed her arms. Gray merely stared at the wooden table.

The blonde waited for him to say something but soon figured that he had no plans to, at least not anytime soon. She uncrossed her arms then sighed. "Tell you what. If I tell you, you have to tell me. Deal?"

But before Gray had the chance to agree to her terms, Ann dashed down the Inn's stairs and threw the front doors open thus leaving. Andrew, in hot pursuit, also dashed down the stairs, calling her name out. A look of determination was in his eyes, not much caring if people stared at him or not. He too threw the front doors open, leaving. Obviously, everyone noticed all of this ruckus. It wasn't exactly a normal thing to see people just dash right out of the Inn. "Somehow, I don't think you'll need to tell me, Claire." Gray finally replied.

"Then I assume you won't tell me now, right?"

"Do you practice on being obvious?" the blacksmith raised his eyebrow, slightly glancing at her. Instead of returning his glance with a glare, the farmer couldn't help but slightly chuckle. "What's so funny now? I certainly didn't say anything laughable."

"Oh, Gray. You just don't understand how I work, now do you. Even Carter probably would have chuckled a bit at that."

"Now what does the pastor have to do with all of this?"

"'Is it any of your business?'" she quoted Gray, imitating his voice. Gray scowled at her then rolled his eyes.

Claire chuckled to herself and began to play with her brother's fez. Whatever her brother was doing, she just knew that things between Ann and him won't be the same. She then slipped off the _UMA_ hat she was wearing and placed it on the table. She plopped on the fez. "'I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.'" she quoted, slightly giggling to herself. If her brother was had stuck around, she knew he would have chuckled at her antics. Gray, though, rolled his eyes but then took it as an opportunity to grab his precious hat back. "Oh no you don't." Claire tried to snatch the hat away from him but was too slow.

"Ha!" the blacksmith gloated. "Finally get it back." He placed it back onto his crown.

Claire pouted, allowing Gray to further enjoy his victory, but soon lunged out to grab his hat. He quickly dodged her by getting up and moving to the opposite chair from where she was. "Oh come on! That's totally not fair!" the blonde pouted again, slouching in her chair.

"It's quite fair. It is my hat, after all."

"But it's a crime against your outfit!" the blonde tried to reason, "It does squat for it—for crying out loud, you stick out like a sore thumb! I thought you to be a type of person who likes to blend in the background."

"Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Somehow I doubt that." she dryly remarked.

Both of them ended that particular conversation (for now), allowing silence to envelop them. Crossing her arms over her chest, Claire tried to think of a clever way to stop a crime against fashion; but instead, her thoughts ended up in a fantasy for awhile, specifically of The Doctor. That was when it hit her. "Gray, how about we exchange hats?"

"Forget it. That fez is going nowhere near me."

"Oh come on. It won't be that bad. At least the fez would somewhat go with your outfit. You would be like the Eighth Doctor with a fez... sort of."

"Not doing it, blondie. You might as well drop it."

The blonde scowled at him, reluctantly accepting defeat. Next time she would get him. She didn't know how, but somehow she knew she would.

The rest of the Inn continued to fill with chatter, anything from gossip to news. Claire eavesdropped for awhile at other people's conversations, mentally giving her opinion on such matters, but soon heard a pitter-patter coming from the roof. She didn't think much of it at first, but the sudden realization of what it was made her eyes widen, almost panicking at the thought of it. Outside it was raining, and her animals were still out. "Dammit!" she yelled and shot up, causing a disturbance in some conversations. "That idiotic weatherman! He said it was going to be sunny out but, oh no—turns out rain also was coming! My animals are still out!" _No wonder Daisy was giving my nothing but trouble earlier... smart cow._

"I'll help my favorite lady farmer out." Kai, in his elaborate and wacky attire, approached Claire.

"I'll give my assistance as well." Trent also offered, not wanting Kai to go alone with her.

The blacksmith peered from his hat at the farmer, his arms crossed. "I guess I'll help as well."

"There's really no need for any of you to help." Claire began, "I can manage on my own."

"It's not about managing on your own." Gray remarked before the other two could. He stood up from where he sat. "It's about getting those animals in the barn quickly and efficiently. You have three animals and there's three of us. We're helping whether you like it or not, Claire."

"Fine." the farmer muttered, reluctantly giving in.

The three men ran outside, heading towards her farm, with Claire following close by. The rain decided to pour hard, much to the farmer's displeasure. All she wanted was to get her animals in the barn as quickly as possible and be done with it then chill and relax at her house, since the party was basically over. Little did she know what was in store for her.

* * *

**Yeah, yeah... I left it on a bit of a cliff hanger :/  
I wanted to split this chapter into two cause it would be _extremely_ long if I hadn't - probably longer than the previous chapter xD and you all know how long that was. xD  
I also originally was going to post my one-shot relating to this story (you'll understand once you see it and such) after I posted this chapter but I decided against it: you will find it posted after I post chapter 18. I have... reasons :P  
That one-shot is going to be really long xD  
**

**To clarify, The Doctor isn't the same as the doctor - The Doctor is from Doctor Who and the doctor is Trent himself xD just so it's clear xD but you probably already knew that lol  
**

**Stubborn cows; things straightened out with Mary; Ann has a secret "lair" (sorry, but I really picture Ann having something like that lol); Elli isn't making any sense to Claire; and many other juicy things which happened :O xD  
Oh, and of course the fez - who can forget that fez :3 which by the way *SPOILER FOR DOCTOR WHO FOR THE REST OF SERIES 7* will make a comeback xD  
And if anybody was wondering about the "Carter remark" - it's related to Stargate, SG-1 specifically. Like in one episode, Col. Jack O'Neill says something to a very advanced alien race like "Do you practice on being vague?" something like that xD I personally laughed when he did. So I guess, that's why Claire chuckled a bit lol  
Oh, and as for the little "argument" Claire had with her brother concerning a certain show - I'll tell you this much: it really does exist, to some extent. Like most people side with what Andrew says, but I'm like Claire: I don't think they are. It is interesting that Moffat doesn't confirm it 100% - ya think he would, considering he wrote the episode AND wrote the episode(s) which introduced River in the first place.  
**

**...xD Sorry for going on on that xD lol  
:O Author's note is long yet again...  
**

**Well then. Again, not sure when the next chapter will be up - not sure how long it'll take to write it; but I will try my hardest :)  
Chapter 18, 19, 20 then in 21, Fall which I can tell you this much will get _really_ interesting: answers to such and, of course, romance, hehe - I have it all in my head :P  
I really appreciate everyone reading my story, even though at times it gets messed up xD lol  
Review if ya like or don't... whateva you choose ^^  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**I should tell everyone now (if you haven't been on my profile since I do update on my progress periodically): I do have a job now and that is _really_ cutting in my writing time! D: So each update my take longer - though it really depends sometimes.  
I do thank everyone for your patience :)**** words cannot describe how awesome it is to know that there are still readers for this xD**

**Again, more references but that shouldn't surprise anyone now lol  
Enjoy!**** Ah, yes, before you do... there is a one-shot that I've written which is related to this story and takes place in chapter 17, which I guess sort of leads into this chapter? You'll see if you read it: it's called: _Before It's Too Late_.**

**One more thing: this chapter is dedicated to my beloved cat who recently died about a week or so ago. RIP, my little Minnie...  
**

* * *

Claire slammed her front door shut, after she entered her house. It was bad enough she had been told she couldn't help lead her animals into her barn, but being also told to go inside her own house to wait till they were done... well, she wasn't exactly too thrilled at that prospect. Like who cares if it was pouring outside! She didn't. A little rain never hurt anyone. Besides, those were, after all, _her_ animals; she had every right to help out.

"Men." she muttered as she wringed out the excess water out of her hair, "Especially that dam blacksmith. I am _not_ some damsel in distress. Don't need any of their help—but no, _he had_ to insist on it, on _everything_. Dam blacksmith..." She stormed off into her bedroom, deciding that she should change out of her drenched clothes.

Once she had changed out of her costume and into more regular clothes, she plopped herself onto one of her couches, waiting for the return of the three men. But then she suddenly realized something: her dog, Akira, was unaccounted for. The possibility of where she was frightened the farmer immensely. For all she knew, Akira could have been severely hurt somewhere with no way of getting back home or worse.

Claire shot up from where she was sitting and dashed over to her front door. However, as soon as she was about to turn her doorknob, the door flung open. "Now where exactly were you planning to go, blondie."

"What part of _not_ calling me blondie didn't you understand?" Claire snapped, taking a step back.

"And what part of staying put in the house didn't _you_ understand?" the blacksmith countered, entering her house with Trent and Kai. All three of them were completely drenched.

Crossing her arms, Claire glared hard at her company, primarily at the blacksmith. "The least you could do is close my door: the rain's blowing in." Trent ended up closing the door.

"So," Kai broke the somewhat tense situation—Claire and Gray weren't exactly exchanging friendly looks, "what now?"

Claire fixated her eyes onto Kai. "Now," she uncrossed her arms, "you three can move out of my way so that _I_ can go out in search for my dog."

"I don't think so, Claire." Gray remarked.

"Excuse me? _Who_ exactly died and made _you_ the boss over me?"

"He's right, Claire." Trent agreed, although he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of agreeing with Gray of all people. "It is not advisable to go out there any time soon."

"Yeah, I have to agree with them too on this. It's raining cats and dogs out there." Kai added as he wringed out the excess water from his purple bandanna. He quickly ran his hand through his hair, trying to shake off some more excess water.

"If I wanted any of you guys' opinions, I would have asked for them. Now get out of my way." she gave her most menacing face that she could, clenching her fists. For reasons not entirely known to them, Kai and Trent moved away from the door a little bit. It was Gray who was the stubborn one. He, instead, moved closer to the door, further blocking the blonde from leaving. "Dammit, Gray, get out of my way!"

"No." he sternly replied, standing firmer in his stance.

"Gray..."

"Claire."

Claire sighed in frustration, blowing some of her bangs away from her face. It was quite obvious that she wasn't getting anywhere with him. But didn't he realize that Akira could be lost somewhere and quite possibly be hurt? Did he care? She knew that he had a soft spot for that dog; so the latter question wasn't the issue. Determined to get her own way, Claire somewhat calmed down, figuring that maybe not losing her temper would help. "Please, Gray, I _need_ to go out there and look for her. She could be seriously hurt or or..." Her eyes grew watery, tears threatening to fall; but she managed to hold them back. She then found the wall rather interesting. That was so not her plan, but maybe Akira's disappearance had affected her a lot more than she would have admitted to anyone.

"Claire..." Gray tried comforting her, a territory quite foreign to him. It wasn't as if he knew exactly what he was doing. He placed his hand on her shoulder, much to not only his and Claire's surprise but also Trent's and Kai's. Slightly embarrassed, he quickly retracted it, once he realized what he did that is. "Look," he continued on his train of thought, "everything is going to be alright."

The farmer continued her study on the wall, her mind elsewhere.

"You've just gotta believe that."

She still didn't pay much attention to what Gray was trying to say.

"Claire, please look at me." He gently turned her head to face him, again surprising everyone in the room, especially himself. He never knew he had it in him, but he needed her to listen to him. Her eyes reluctantly locked with his. "You got to know something here, Claire: your dog, Akira is one highly intelligent dog. I would go as far as saying she is the most intelligent dog out there. So don't worry. She knows that you would be very upset if something were to happen to her. She is no dumb dog. She'll be fine: trust me on this."

After Gray's unexpected speech, the room grew quiet and somewhat awkward. Both Trent and Kai were absolutely dumbfounded on what Gray had done, though Kai was more getting a kick out of it than Trent was (for obvious reasons). And Claire—she didn't know how to respond to it all.

"A-Alright." the farmer eventually broke the quiet awkwardness in the room. "It'll be hard, but... but I'll try." He was right: Akira was one smart dog. She briefly paused before continuing. "I'm... I'm going to make some tea." She headed towards her kitchen then turned around. "Anyone want any?"

"I'll pass this time." Kai spoke up first.

"Gray?"

"No, I'm good; but thanks anyways." the blacksmith slightly pulled on the brim of his hat.

"Trent?"

"Tea would be lovely. Thank you."

"Alright." Claire slightly smiled then continued into her kitchen. _At least one of them drinks a gentleman's drink, a _proper_ gentleman's drink. I should probably turn up the heater. _her thoughts randomly continued, _This way those three won't freeze to death in here._

Kai spoke up, once Claire was fully in her kitchen. "Wow... Wow, about everything."

"Kai, no one wants to hear it, especially me." Gray muttered, returning back to his normal self.

The tanned man merely chuckled. "Romeo." he mumbled, inaudible to anyone's ears.

The three men loitered around, not knowing exactly what they should do next. They didn't, after all, want to soak any of Claire's couches by sitting on them. It didn't take long though for Claire to notice them. "Why don't the three of you sit down? There are couches for a reason."

"But then your couches will get wet."

"Gray, it's only water." The blonde chuckled to herself. "I've spilled a lot of water on them before—hot water might I add... don't ask how that happened though..." she trailed off. "So sit down—all of you."

The three men sat down on the couches—Trent and Kai on one couch (much to the doctor's dissatisfaction; he didn't have much of a choice though, since Kai would have most likely move if he had) and Gray on the opposite one, leaving the couch facing the television unoccupied.

While the three men sat in silence, since they really had no idea what to talk about, Claire's open laptop on the coffee table nearby beeped, showing now a pop up. It was for the option of a video chat. This, naturally, caught Kai's attention which then he took it upon himself to answer it, despite all the warnings he received from Gray.

"_Guess who—who are _you_?_" the female on the other side of the video chat remarked. Her tone was quite surprised, but at the same time a hint of curiosity was detected.

"I could ask _you_ the same question, beautiful." The female blushed while both Trent and Gray rolled their eyes at the typical Kai behavior around a woman—and as it turns out, even around women over video chat.

"_W-Well..._" she stammered. Another one affected by Kai's charm.

Luckily though, Claire had finished making the tea. She carried it out into where her guests were then nearly dropped it at the scene she saw. "Oh my goodness Kai, what the hell do you think you are doing?" the farmer scolded, causing him to jump from startlement.

"Merely having a conversation with this lovely beautiful lady here over the computer." Kai managed to reply calmly.

"That 'lovely beautiful lady' is my best friend, Kat. And she is _definitely __not_ available!"

"Chill, Clairey. I can't help if the ladies love me."

"Oh my goodness—you are a real piece of work." the blonde muttered as she placed the tea tray on the coffee table.

"Thank you."

"That was _so_ not a compliment."

"It sounded like it was." the tanned traveler winked at her.

"You are such a..." A certain word was on the tip of her tongue, but she had no idea what it was.

Therefore, Kai finished it for her. "A irresistible, handsome guy?" he perked up a little too much.

"Just give me my dam laptop back." Claire snatched it out of his hand. With her laptop now in hand, she then plopped herself on the same couch as Gray.

"_Claire, no harm was down._"

"Leave it to you to try to defend him..." the blonde trailed off. "Anyways, why did you decide to call now?"

"_Can't I just drop you a line without being questioned as to why? Isn't that what best friends do?_"

"Kat..."

"_Kidding, Claire._" the farmer's best friend chuckled. She sighed then decided to answer the question, "_I just figured 'why not?' really. Course, I had no idea you would have company—_that _kind of company._" she teased which resulted in Claire narrowing her eyes at the screen."_So, I'll leave you with them now. Chow!—Oh, but don't forget: I wanna hear _everything_!_" With that, the video chat ended. The farmer closed her laptop then glared at the tanned traveler in front of her.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You just can't leave things alone, can you..." Claire stated more than asked, still glaring at him.

"I warned you, Kai." the blacksmith now entered the conversation.

"Obviously, that wasn't enough." the blonde muttered, now directing her attention towards him.

"Don't you dare try to blame this on me, blondie."

"Gah... when are you going to stop that?"

"When you stop acting ridiculous."

Before Claire had the chance to retort, Trent spoke up, "The tea is not going to pour itself." He tried making a joke, but his attempt was unsuccessful.

A moment of silence filled the room. "Thank you, Trent." the farmer broke the silence, still somewhat glaring at the blacksmith, "I almost forgot." She placed her laptop back onto the coffee table. Pouring some tea for Trent, she glanced at the treats she chose to accompany the tea; that's if anyone wanted any. She then then passed over Trent's, once she was finished.

"May I ask you something, Claire?" the doctor asked, after he took a sip of his tea.

"You sort of did already." she sarcastically replied, pouring some tea for herself.

Trent ignored her sarcasm. "Why tea?"

"Tea helps me calm down. And helps me to think. Jammie Dodger?"

"No thanks."

"Jammie Dodger, Gray? Kai?" she offered the other men. They both agreed to one. Claire passed one of the Jammie Dodger's to Gray and chucked another at Kai. Why get up when one could chuck the object instead? Well, it was her thinking.

"Well," she spoke up after a brief pause, "since we can't exactly return back to Ann's party for many reasons, why don't I put on a DVD? I've got many suggestions, like Doctor Who, Star Trek, Stargate, Doctor Who, or maybe something not sci-fi like NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, or we could just watch Doctor Who."

"Is it safe to assume that you want to put on Doctor Who?"

"Gray, I thought you would never ask!" The blacksmith merely rolled his eyes at her antics.

Before Claire had the chance to bounce off the couch she was sitting on in order to set up her DVD player, her door swung open again, revealing two people she didn't expect to see anytime soon. She then frowned to herself at the thought of how people seem to enjoy entering her house without even knocking beforehand. A little courtesy wasn't asking too much.

Everyone in the room by then were looking at the new guests. "Andrew, Ann, what are you two doing here?" The blonde asked, clearly puzzled at their presence.

"It's nice seeing you too, sis." Andrew dryly remarked as Ann passed him back his tweed jacket.

Claire was about to ask him more questions, but a dog's bark prevented her from doing so. Her eyes lightened up. She knew exactly who _that_ was. "Akira! Girl!" she exclaimed. Akira bounced her way towards her mistress then afterward shook the water off of herself, getting her mistress and everyone else around a bit wet.

Claire laughed, completely ignoring the flinging water. "It's so nice to see you, girl!" she exclaimed, rubbing the dog's head. Akira tried licking her hands as she did.

"So it takes being a dog to receive a proper welcome. I guess I have to figure out how to become one then." Andrew joked.

Claire continued petting her dog somewhat, ignoring her brother's remark. "What the hell were you thinking, Andrew? Traveling in this weather. My brother—the idiot who loves going out in any weather, even hail." she continued, remembering the time when he was in the hail.

"Hey! You can't point a finger at me without three of them pointing back at you. And believe me, there are some fair share of stories with you mucking around in bad weather—even when I explicitly told you not to."

"And today almost made it another." Gray added, peering under his hat. "Three of us had to stop her from doing something stupid."

"Thanks, Gray, for your input." Claire sarcastically remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. "But for the record, Akira was still out there, and I _needed_ to find her."

"Not really sis. You didn't _need_ to find her. She probably didn't want to be around the farm in her dog house by herself in the rain. So I guess she decided to find someone—and that someone was me and Ann: she came sometime after the rain started."

"Which brings up the question: what exactly happened to the two of you when you two ran out of the Inn?" the blonde inquired, changing the subject.

"Well, Clairey," Ann chirped into the conversation, "I'll give ya a summery." The ginger grabbed the man beside her, forcing him down to her level, and passionately kissed him, sending warmth in her body. Although placed off guard, he returned her kiss, dropping his tweed jacket to the floor since he had been holding it.

Everyone in the room by now was shocked, though Claire had a gut feeling something like that happened; she just wanted to be sure. A sense of happiness filled her but soon a sense of dread landed on her. Now that Ann had a boyfriend, she was now free to meddle more with the farmer's life, specifically her love life—and that frightened the farmer. Maybe though she was getting ahead of herself. After all, Ann most likely would be too busy to do just that, considering she would be spending most of her time with Andrew... in theory, of course.

But no matter how hard Claire tried to reason with herself, she just couldn't shake off that particular feeling: dread. _This is a changing point in my life too—I just know it..._

Kai had been pretty quiet about the whole situation till now. "Well, it's about time!" he blurted out. It would be no surprise if everyone within a one mile radius had heard him. The couple merely blushed as they held each other's hands.

"I say." Claire added.

"Sooo," Ann began, not wanting all of the attention on herself and Andrew, "what have _you_ been doing, Claire?"

"Not much, really." Claire nonchalantly stated—something which Ann didn't expect. "Though," she continued, "before the two of you came in, I was going to put on a Doctor Who episode. You two are just in time."

"Yeah, about that." Kai interjected, "I'm... I'm not feeling well." He rubbed his temples. "I think I have some sort of a headache. I think I and the good doctor here will have to go now."

"Kai, it is probably nothing." Trent began but then sighed. "But if it makes you happy, I can do check-up here."

"Yeah, well, what if I have an aneurysm? Huh? What then? Hell, what if I have a tumor in my head!?" the tan traveler out of nowhere hollered dramatically, throwing his arms in the air. "My life could be on the line here!"

"And what if you don't?" the doctor calmly replied, expressionless.

"How would you know that if you don't take an X-ray or something!? I don't exactly see any medical equipment here! Do you? Do you!?"

"Trent, I think you better humor him." Andrew entered the conversation.

"Fine." Trent remarked then turned his attention to the farmer. "Sorry, Claire. But I am afraid that my visit will have to be cut short."

"You're not seriously considering going out in _that_ rain, are you?"

"I could have a tumor here!" Kai hollered again, emphasizing each word.

"I am afraid so." Trent continued, somewhat ignoring Kai's outbreak.

"Come on! Enough with the chit chat here! I could be dying! Doesn't anybody care!? If I die, the women of this planet will go into a serious depression! And that can't happen! They can't lose their ruggedly handsome _Prince Charming _here!" Kai continued with his over-the-top-drama as he shot off the couch. "What would they do without me!?"

"Alright, enough!" Trent finally snapped. "We are going now! So give it a rest!" The doctor got up and headed towards the door, with Kai following close by. Both Ann and Andrew by now had moved from the door, standing near the kitchen entrance. Before Trent and Kai left, Kai turned around and directly looked at Claire, giving her a wink. To say Claire was furious was an understatement.

_That... that bastard... _"Unbelievable..." she breathed out then spoke up a little, "I will never understand you men. You tell us women one thing then you do the exact opposite of what you told us... how is that fair?"

"It's called 'keeping you woman safe.'" Andrew remarked.

"And who says that we need that from you?" Claire snapped somewhat.

"You know deep down you appreciate it."

Claire didn't reply to that cause what he had mentioned she knew to be true: she (and probably others) did appreciate it, naturally in her own way. But that didn't mean she had to outwardly enjoy it.

"What now?" Ann sighed, changing the subject.

"Well, for starters, the two of you can sit down on one of the couches—and don't say it: it's only water."

"Suit yourself, sis." Andrew remarked, plopping himself on one of the two available couches. He chose the one facing the television. Ann shortly did the same, though she was a bit unsure.

"You know, Claire, you probably gonna have a bad smell." the ginger shortly added.

"I was planning on disinfecting these couches anyways."

"Well, I dunno about you three, but I'm in the mood to watch some Doctor Who now! Who's with me?" Andrew blurted out, thus changing the subject to something more interesting to him. He didn't want to talk about "disinfecting couches."

Claire couldn't help but laugh. "Alright. I'll put one on, but which one?"

Before her brother had the chance to give his answer, a loud meow originated from outside, perking Akira's ears. "I'll answer as soon as I return." he remarked as he climbed over the couch and towards the door. He opened the door and sprinted right out.

It didn't take long before he returned back into the house, holding a rather small long-haried tortoiseshell cat that was shivering. "Aww, the poor thing." Claire quickly grabbed some towels from her bathroom, wrapped some of them around the cat, and took the cat from her brother. She also threw an extra towel at him for his use.

Holding the cat, she then sat down in her seat again, arousing Akira's curiosity in the new creature. "She's so small." the farmer commented then continued, "And by the looks of it, she probably doesn't even have a home." Akira cocked her head. "You want her to stay, Akria?" Akira barked in response. "I guess that means yes." the farmer chuckled.

"What are you going to call her?" Gray decided to break his silence.

"Minnie."

"As in 'Minnie Mouse'?" Andrew chuckled.

"Well, yeah and no. 'Minnie' as in 'small, tiny' but obviously not in the spelling." She cuddled the cat after she spoke. Her company merely blinked their eyes at her logic then thought of it no more.

"So, since the cat has been rescued by me and now has a name, are we now ready for an episode?" Claire's impatient brother continued the subject of Doctor Who.

"Yes, Andrew, you can put on whatever one you wish."

"Goodie! Cause I was thinking on one of the Classic ones."

"But they're long." Claire stated.

"So? We've got time. It's not like we can go anywhere else."

"The party is basically trashed anyways. Well, I should rephrase that: it _was_ basically over." Ann added.

"Alright." Claire gave in, sighing. "But I will warn you and Gray: the Classics can be slow at times, but they are sooooo worth it. Trust me. Which one are you going to put on, Andrew?"

"I was thinking 'The Invasion of Time.'"

"Leela's last story? Alright... if you want. But that one is a rather long one..."

"But it's also the only story that has shows the swimming pool!" Andrew pointed out as if it was the most important detail.

"You know what, Gray?" Ann managed to say in between the siblings' conversation, "I don't think we are needed at all here."

"Of course, you are needed." Andrew kissed her forehead. "It's just at times, Claire and I get carried away. Not the first time it's happened."

"Ain't that the truth." Claire added, chuckling a bit. "Well, then, my dear brother, get on with it—put it on before I decide to put on one I want to watch."

"Alrighty then." her brother said as made his way toward her DVDs and DVD player. He thumbed through her collection, before finding the one he was looking for. After he placed the disk inside the player, he dashed back into his seat, grabbing the controller on his way there. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

**Maybe slightly shorter than others. *shrugs* But I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless! Though I'm not sure if I'm even happy with it .-. let's just say I had this original planning for it but I threw that idea out cause I thought it would be too... rushed for that - ehh, don't matter: you guys don't have to worry about it xD**

**Again, nooo idea when the next chappy will be up - though I am looking forward to writing it: but I should give a heads up - it's more information for lack of a better word than anything... or... really I have no idea what the right words are for what I was trying to say lol I guess you'll have to wait and see. Actually, to be honest, I'm really looking forward to writing chapter 20 :) got this awesome idea to end summer on! xD**

**Thanks again for reading! More will be coming! :D  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**2 months... I know, 2 months... that SO wasn't the plan - I had every intention of updating a lot sooner... stupid work lol it is _really_ eating my free time here. D: But what can one do, you know? Just the best one can do :)  
I do apologize for the delay in an update - and I hope you enjoy this one, as much as I enjoyed writing it :) like I said before, it has more info than anything - like that.**

**You can say that this is the beginnings of the adventure part (well, sort of lol)  
Warning: lots of dialogue ahead xD  
**

* * *

"Well, there's a good chunk of the day I'll never get back..." The blonde muttered as she continued to head back to her farm.

"Oh come ooonnn! The festival isn't even over! It's not that bad, Claire."

"I thought so too, the way you had been going on about it..." Claire trailed off, "But you failed to mentioned that Mayor Thomas was going to drone about... well, whatever he droned on about cause I certainly wasn't listening here—nearly fell asleep out of boredom. All that time—all that time, wasted... I could've been in my fields, tiding them up a bit, or even out exploring or whatever. But nope."

"You have to admit though: the cheese there was pretty awesome!" Claire's ginger haired friend pointed out, trying to find some good out of the festival for Claire.

"Yeah." Claire reminisced the melting feeling the cheese had given in her mouth. Cheese was, after all, somewhat her weakness. "Yeah, you're definitely right on that. But still—I really had no business being there considering I don't have a cow."

"What you mean you don't-"

"That's eligible, Ann."

"Ohhhhhhh, right." the waitress rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "I knew that."

Claire chuckled at her friend, "Sure you did. Anyways, since we're in front of the bridge leading to my farm," Claire glanced around, "I guess this is where we go are separate ways—me back to work and you back to The Mayor's _exciting_ speech."

"Can I help you with your farm instead?" Ann asked quickly. She kind of wanted to avoid the majority of The Mayor's speech. "After all," she continued, trying to justify her question, but that was mainly for herself, "you do seem to have an awful lot of trouble with those weeds. So an extra hand would be beneficial for you."

"So you do agree with me about it being boring."

"No, I don't re—maybe? But for the record," Ann began her statement, "I do plan on going back to the festival, just, just not right now."

The farmer chuckled yet again, "Sure, why not. I could use the help."

"Good!" Ann chirped as she skipped towards Claire's farm, her braid swinging as she did. "You coming?" she then hollered back, continuing to skip. Claire rolled her eyes at her antics but soon she too joined in Ann's excitement. It was one of those things which was contagious.

As soon as she arrived at her farm, Claire stopped skipping and sighed at her field. She had many crops growing from tomatoes to onions to corn to even a patch of pineapples. No boulders or stumps littered her fields—she was home-free from that, thanks to the help of a certain blacksmith; though that didn't mean that she hadn't made a fuss about it. But those weeds—those horrible weeds from the deepest darkest parts of the earth. They still came strong; and she had no idea why either which really frustrated her.

She glanced towards her livestock grazing in the fenced off area. Near there running around was her dog Akira and her cat Minnie. It seemed like the two of them were having much fun playing with each other. That lightened up her mood quite a bit. At least she was doing something right.

The day continued onward, the sun beating down relentlessly on the two women toiling in the field. They chatted about anything that really came to mind, but the main subject they talked about was Claire's brother or Ann's boyfriend, depending on one's preference. "Do you know a recipe for Jammie Dodgers?"

"Jammie Dodgers?"

"Yeah. Andrew has been begging me to make them. Ever since the day of my party."

"I guess that's sort of my fault." Claire remarked as she yanked a weed. "I should have limited the amount he had. No matter—can't change the past." _Unfortunately. Sometimes I wish I could..._ her thoughts trailed off.

"So? Do you?" Ann asked again.

"Ann, with all that technology in your 'lair' you should be able to look it up yourself."

"Yeah, but I was hoping that you knew of any that maybe you had tried out. Or at least one that actually works."

There was a moment silence before the conversation continued. "There is this one, come to think of it." the blonde wiped the sweat off her brow, "But they are for big ones."

"That'll work perfectly." the waitress chirped.

"Okay then: it's settled. I'll get you it as soon as I'm able to."

"Thanks Claire—oh, what time is it now." Ann quickly changed the subject, something which she did quite often once she got talking.

Claire glanced down at her watch and raised a brow. "Four in the afternoon. Wow, time sure does fly."

"Yeah no kidding. It seems like we just arrived here."

"You know, you don't _have_ to go back to the festival. I wouldn't mind the company for a bit longer."

"And I wouldn't mind staying for a bit longer."

"Buuuut..."

"But I am not going to give you the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so.' I am going back to that festival if it's the last thing I do." the ginger rambled as she started to strut for the exit. It was quite comical, really.

"Okay Ann. Whatever you say." the farmer chuckled, "I'll see you soon."

"Later!" Ann hollered, waving in the distance.

Once Ann was out of Claire's view, Claire then made a mental decision to spend some time near the waterfall which was located not too far from her farm. It was, after all, awfully hot: she needed something to cool her down. "Akira, girl! Look after the farm, will ya? I'm heading off the property." she hollered out to her dog. Her dog barked in response, almost as if to say 'Yes, Mistress. I understand.'

In fact, Claire was certain that that would be something her dog really would say... if there was such thing as a dog translator... or if a dog could speak English.

Pushing that train of thought aside, the farmer started to skip as she made her way for the waterfall. On arrival, she plopped herself down and crossed her legs. The cool air from the waterfall gracefully blew upon her thus cooling her down. She grabbed a nearby pebble, fiddling around with it in her hands for no apparent reason. She instantly got lost in her thoughts... or to be exact, she got lost in her own little world where characters from various of TV shows existed.

The pebble, though, soon slipped out of her hands and into the pond before her, thus ending her fantasies. What she saw next utterly and positively shocked her. Yeah, there were bigger-on-the-inside stuff; and yeah, there were all sorts of gemstones on the island; heck, there were even aliens on the island for crying out loud! But this—this was something which she had never expected.

"Hello. I am the Harvest Goddess. How may I help you?" the person floating in front of her said. The person—or rather, the woman was very pretty. Her green hair was done up into two buns, one on either side of her head, very much like Princess Leia. A long braid hanged out from one of the buns. And her apparel, also green, was perfect for the summer weather and resembled a mermaid's outfit, without the fins, of course.

Claire blinked, puzzled on what was going on. She certainly wasn't expecting this.

"Hello? Are you alright?" the woman with green hair asked in a concerned matter. "Do you require some help?"

"No, no," the blonde began, a little flustered as she did, "this can't be happening—I must be dreaming."

"I can assure you, my dear. This, whatever it is—this is very much happening."

"Heat exhaustion. Yeah, that's what-" Claire stopped speaking as soon as she saw a flicker in the image of the creature or person or whatever that green-haired woman was. The green-haired women cursed underneath her breath. Claire definitely had seen this before... not in real life though—on a television to be exact, but nevertheless, she had seen this, "Alright, what's the big idea?" she demanded, standing up, gaining much confidence. She now was confused no more.

"The big idea?"

"You can stop with your shenanigans! I know dam well that the person I am seeing right now—or I should say the image—isn't the real you. What I am seeing is merely a hologram. I saw that slight flicker." the farmer pointed at her, "So don't you dare think that I am too naïve not to notice it." _Clearly a Stargate moment._

"Alright. You got me. This image is a projection of me..." the green-haired woman trailed off. "But you had no need on being rude about it."

"I didn't really mean to, honest." Claire calmed down somewhat from her little outburst, excitement slowly replacing her previous feeling. "Like I've always wanted to do an epic speech like that—ones which Jackson have done on numerous occasions in Stargate. I guess I got carried away a bit. Sorry about that."

"Think nothing of it, really. I am the one who should be apologizing. Look, we can talk more once you are where I am located."

"And that would be where exactly?"

The image before Claire disappeared. She wondered whether or not it really was a dream, but that thought quickly disappeared as the waters in front of her seemed to part. Well, not _part_ per say, but it really was the closest description that Claire could think of. Stone stairs soon revealed themselves.

Claire stared in amazement, jaw dropped at what had just happened. _Have I been teleported to the twilight zone? _she thought. She shrugged her shoulders and started down those cold stony stairs. What could possible go wrong? It was just her luck that something did.

She didn't even make it down the first five steps before she lost her footing and tumbled down the rest of them. She then slipped into a darkness.

_A group of men led a young women to a booth. Behind them, an angry riotous__ crowd followed. Following her close behind was her good friend who had short messy brown hair and often wore glasses._

"_My fellow Vendonians!" the older man boomed over the angry crowd. The crowd grew quiet. "We are here today to convict this young woman—this same woman who stole The Eye of Malak! She will pay for her crimes!" The crowd now cheered._

"_Objection!" the woman's friend remarked loudly; the crowd once more grew somewhat quiet, "It has not yet been firmly established that she committed the crime. I thought this was suppose to be some sort of trial, where the accused can speak her own piece. Or at the very least have someone to defend her."_

"_Oh, but it is, Dr. Jackson; it is." the older man quietly spoke with him while the crowd continued to talk amongst themselves, "But can you not see that she is guilty? Anyone who has any shred of intellect can see that."_

"_I rather disagree. She would never do anything of the sort."_

"_And you know this how?"_

"_I know her—and have for years now."_

"_But we do not. Therefore, we only have your word."_

_Dr. Jackson was about to add something else, but the crowd began to yell and scream how they wanted __justice—how they _demanded _justice. "Alright everyone—everyone settle down for one moment." the older man boomed over the crowd which again quieted them, "You will have your justice—mark my word! But since we are dealing with outsiders—since they are strangers to us, we must proceed where both parties are satisfied. That is why you are all here—that is why we are going to soon hear this woman's say. Dr. Jackson, you may do or say what you wish now. May The Mighty Ones have mercy on her."_

"_Thank you, Chancellor... I think." Dr. Jackson shook his head quickly then continued, "Thank you, everyone, for allowing this opportunity." _

_Many people in the crowd scoffed at his words, but he ignored it. _

"_I just have one thing to ask: how do you know she stole The Eye of Malak? Does she have it with her?"_

"_That's a stupid question! She obviously hid it!" a random person in the crowd yelled. Others around him nodded in agreement._

"_But did you _see_ her take it? Did any of you see?" Once loud and boisterous, the crowd now was very quiet; Jackson took that as his cue to continue, "Do you have _any_ proof that points to her as the one who took it? All that anyone here knows is that she was the last one to touch The Eye of Malak."_

"_But I never took it—I swear on my life here; I had full permission to handle it, and I made sure I set it back exactly where it was!" the woman interrupted Jackson's speech, shooting up as she did. He glanced at her and gave her a look which told her to let him do the talking. She slumped back into her chair._

"_So. I want everyone here to ask themselves this question: how is it fair or just for that matter—cause I know you people value these—to falsely accuse this woman for a crime in which there is no proof to back up the accusations? Now I realize that The Eye of Malak is one of your most sacred artifacts, but that does not give you the right to immediately execute the first person you find who may or may not have stolen it. In this case, haven't."_

"_That's where you are wrong, Dr. Jackson. There is indeed proof." a man who had recently just entered the room countered. This same man was highly respected by his fellow Vendonians and was someone whom Jackson had dinner with when he arrived on the planet. Everyone was completely silent now._

"_Proof? Handling the object is hardly-"_

"_I saw her." Everyone whispered amongst themselves. "With my own eyes." Something about his tone and body language for that matter told Jackson that something wasn't right—that something was off._

"_Liar!" Jackson's friend shot up yet again, resulting in one of her armed escorts to shove her back down._

"_And can you prove what you just said?" Jackson replied thoughtfully._

"_Isn't my word proof enough?"_

"_No offense, but your word means nothing." Nearly everyone gasped._

"_Are you implying that I would lie about something like this, Dr. Jackson?"_

"_If we are being honest here—yeah, the thought has crossed my mind." Jackson observed a young woman scurrying towards the man who he had been speaking to._

_The young woman whispered in the man's ear and handed him something. The man nodded in acknowledgement, a hint of smirkiness on his face. "So," he continued his debate with Jackson, "I suppose if she were innocent, this wouldn't be on record." He headed towards a console and inserted the object the young woman had given him. A holographic image of the room which had contained The Eye of Malak appeared, showing a woman with blonde hair taking the precious artifact._

_Jackson really had no idea what to say. He knew deep down that somehow what he was seeing wasn't true. But that wasn't how everyone else took it. Cries of "Is this not proof enough?" and "Away with her!" filled the auditorium. Everyone had no need of further proof._

"_Then it's settled then." the Chancellor shouted over the crowd. "Guards, take her away."_

_The poor woman desperately glanced at Jackson, hoping that he had some sort of plan. "Daniel?" she cried out, as the guards started forcefully escorting her. The crowd continued their shoutings and hollers._

"_Claire!" He ran up to the Chancellor, "Chancellor, please, don't do this. There must be some logical explanation!"_

"_Yes, there is: she is undoubtedly guilty and must be punished accordingly." he stated._

"_But-"_

"_You had your trail, Dr. Jackson. Nothing else can be done then what must be done." The Chancellor left the room in order to prepare for what was to come._

_Jackson then immediately pushed his way through the crowd who had been following the guards. "Claire!"_

"_Daniel?"_

"_Claire, you just hold on—I'll figure something out! Claire! Claire!"_

"Claire?" The farmer violently woke up, causing her to fall onto the floor. "Whoa, are you alright?" the voice asked.

"I'm okay... I'm okay..." Disorientated, Claire managed to prop herself up onto the table again. "Where am I? And what happened?" the blonde rubbed her eyes.

"My home away from home. And you had fallen down the stairs. Who is Daniel?"

"Daniel. Daniel Jackson. He's a fictional character on a television show. Wait, I what again?"

"You fell down the stairs—did I not just told you that?"

_She's certainly got a saucy attitude._ The woman with the green hair crossed her arms and glared at her guest. _Wait, she can read minds? _The woman nodded._ Crap..._ "Sorry..." Claire apologized but also wondered why the woman had to ask questions; if she could read minds, what was the purpose of questions? "I just expected to have a few broken bones, that's all, considering I fell down quite a bit of stairs." the farmer shrugged.

"Apology accepted. And you did have many bones broken and fractured ones too. But you are all good now, thanks to my highly advanced technology here." she chirped, gesturing around the room.

It was when Claire really noticed her surroundings. Around her was very much like a cave but with consoles, screens, and lots of buttons and levers. It was quite chic but at the same time bland cause of the lack of color in the room. Everything around her was very futuristic looking.

She also noticed a few doors, one which she assumed was where her new acquaintance slept in. The other she was curious about for some unknown reason to her. It was as if it was beckoning her to go and open it. It was a weird feeling. Then there was another door in which she wouldn't even knew where to begin on guessing what it led to.

"Wow..." the blonde tried processing everything around her. "This—now this. Is. Awesome. Ann's doesn't even come close to this, for the technology that is."

"You do not like how everything looks?"

"If I'm being honest here, no, not really. It seriously lacks color."

"Well," the green-haired woman sighed, "when you spend most of the time by yourself monitoring stuff and tweaking things here and there, you never really have time for color."

"But a little color won't hurt. Wait a minute." Claire finally realized, "How the hell do you know my name? I never told you it." As soon as Claire finished that sentence, she mentally slapped herself since she already had established that the woman could read minds. Clearly, she still wasn't really all there yet.

"Like I said: I spend a lot of time monitoring stuff, whether it be by my own equipment, or in recent years, your friend Ann's equipment."

"You hack?"

"I dabble a bit."

"You're officially on my cool list." The woman in the green hair giggled. "Oh, I never did catch your name."

"That is because I never told you."

"No seriously," the farmer stifled a laugh, "what is your name? Like I don't think you want me to keep calling you 'The Harvest Goddess' cause we both know you aren't one."

The woman paced the floor, an action in which Claire was curious about. She had only asked this woman's name, not the secret to world domination or anything crazy like that. "I have never really told anyone... well, at least not anyone human. Then again, you are the first human that basically knows that I am not who I say I am."

"Well then, spill the beans. This kind of stuff fascinates me."

"But can I trust you? Like I do not know what you will do once you leave here."

"Then why the hell would you let me down here if you didn't have a little trust in me? Or for that matter, why would you appear to me?" Claire pointed out, as she hopped off the table. The table was starting to get uncomfortable for her ass.

"Cause you threw something into the water."

"By accident. I'm sure there have been many people who have done that, and did you appear to them?"

"No..."

"Then...?"

The woman sighed. "You know, I didn't really like the little offering you 'threw' in."

A moment of silence befell them, then the two woman began to giggle. "At any rate, who would even believe me if I did tell them about here and you?" Claire continued the conversation, trying her best to stifle her laughs.

"Your brother?"

"Okay, now you really do have to tell me about you and your name—it's not fair that you know more about me than I do about you. And it's kind of creepy that you even know I have a brother."

"Like I said-"

"You monitor stuff."

"Yes." the woman chuckled. "That, and your brother is well liked by everyone in Mineral Town. I quite often have heard those two lovely ladies—Popuri and Ann, I believe—talk about him."

"Why do I get the feeling that the people in Mineral Town aren't the only ones who like him, hmm?"

"Well, I-" the green-haired woman began, clearly flustered, "Just go have a seat over there, and I will tell you all that there is to know."

"Really!?" Claire exclaimed as if she were an excited kid, completely ignoring the fact that maybe this woman had a crush on her brother at some point. She quickly scooted towards the little seating area—an area which Claire had concluded was where this woman had her meals. The woman followed behind.

"Well, for starters," the woman began as she sat down across from the farmer, "my name is..." She still was hesitant to say, but she had a good feeling about the farmer. "My name is Sephia, though if you like, you may call me Marina. I have always liked that name."

"It's certainly nice meeting you, Sephia" Claire interjected.

Sephia smiled and continued. "A long time ago—probably a couple thousand years ago in your Earth time—I was on a trading mission to a planet in a not so distant system. They needed some chemicals and medicine pretty urgently. I, of course, had volunteered for the mission since I hadn't seen one of my very good friends in a long time: I wanted to surprise her.

But then my scanners picked up a very familiar signal. My sister, Vivi. She had been a fugitive from the law on my planet, and I had every intention on being the one to take her in and perhaps talk some sense into that girl's head. She has always been a trouble maker. I ended up chasing her across the system, trying my best to persuade her to turn herself in. Like, taking her in myself was my last resort—if I didn't have to do it, then that was a plus.

Unfortunately, it got to the point where I had to lay down the law. I told her that if she didn't come with me that I would open fire. But as I was saying all of that, she ended up opening fire on me first; I retaliated, and, well, it got pretty bad. Both our ships were horribly damaged in the fight. To make matters worse, we both were in close orbit to your planet Earth and did not even notice that until it was too late. Our ships then started to lose orbit, falling helplessly to your planet." Sephia stopped for a minute, her face slightly saddened.

"What's wrong?"

"Sorry." Sephia's voice began to crack, "It is just—it has been a long time since I thought about any of this..."

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to. I won't force you to."

"No, I have told you this much; I might as well finish it. I cannot forget it, anyways..." Sephia took a deep breath and continued, "We both crashed nearby each other. I dug my way out of the debris and quickly ran to my sister's crash site. What I... what I saw, I can never forget. There, in front of me, was her hand, lifelessly under a pile of rubble. I quickly moved the rubble off of her, and grabbed her body. My fears of when I saw her hand were right: she was gone... forever.

As much as she annoyed me, she still was my sister; and I never wanted anything like that to happen to her, you know? I wanted her to learn from her ways. I buried her, and well, here I am to this day."

"Whoa... I'm so sorry about your sister."

"Thanks. I tend not to dwell on the past much... but at the same time, there is a part of me that just cannot forget." the green-haired woman remarked solemnly.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful here—cause of your loss and all—but I have a few questions, if you don't mind that is."

"No, go ahead. I mind not the least bit."

"The island—was it always here?"

"Oh yeah—I am glad you mentioned that. I completely forget. Sometime later, I realized that the impact from the two crashes inadvertently created this island and its properties. Though my theory on its properties is that the chemicals I was carrying on my ship, along with stuff from my laboratory, combined with whatever my sister was carrying—their properties combined, and well, with the sudden hard impact, it created what you've been witnessing since you've been here. And since then, I have been able to control the majority of it too."

"Wow." Claire breathed out. Everything was so unreal to her. "Wait... control?" The farmer then narrowed her eyes at her new friend. "Are you controlling the weeds in my field? If so then-"

"Oh no, definitely not." the woman interrupted, "I have no idea what is causing that for you. It is just as much of a puzzle to me as it is to you. Like I said, I can control the majority—not all of it. And even if I could control those weeds, I would destroy them cause they are not pretty. And I like pretty things."

"I see..." Claire sighed. "What about those seven little... I don't really know what to call them—dwarfs?" Claire asked another question, changing the subject.

"Oh them?" Sephia giggled. "So you met them. They were on the ship with me. They are actually my little helpers—long story on that as well, but, they certainly have made my stay here a bit more comfortable and less lonely at times."

"They each-"

"Have unique abilities? Yeah, it's in their genetic makeup."

"I was actually going to say that they each are very hospitable and friendly. And even adorable."

"Oh... Well, they do."

"I kind of figured that out." Claire stifled some giggles. "One last question though-"

"Why, with all my technology, haven't I left? Can't. I do not have enough materials, and even if I did, I sort of grown to love it here. Yeah, I miss my home planet; but here—here is a very good second home."

Claire blinked at her.

"Sorry... it's a habit sometimes. There are times where I can control what I read off of a person's mind then there are times where I just do it automatically."

"Ehhh, don't worry about it: saved me the trouble of speaking it." the farmer laughed. "Anyways... wait, what time is it?"

"Almost seven at night."

"_Seven at night_!? My animals!" Claire gasped.

"No need to be concerned: I sent Timid, Nappy, and Hoggy to your farm with explicit instructions when you were unconscious. Your animals are safe and sound in their shelters."

"Thank you so much! But," the farmer sighed, "unfortunately, I still have to leave. It is getting late, after all."

"No worries. But I have a favor to ask of you before you go."

"Anything." Claire stated quite eagerly. Any way she could help someone from a different planet was something that she always wanted to do.

"I have been having a problem within the recent century or so."

"What sort of problem?"

"Visualization. I cannot see anything of the northern part of this island on my screens."

"Why couldn't you just go out and see for yourself?"

"And potentially have other people to see me?"

"Would it really be that bad? I mean, you've got to give us humans credit here: not all of us want to dissect and experiment on aliens here. That there, is the government... unless you are paranoid of someone telling the government, which I can understand... but still."

"One can never be too careful."

Claire shrugged her shoulders. "What do I have to do?"

"If you could journey up to the northern part of the island and check out the place, that would be most helpful. There just has to be some sort of logical reason why I cannot get a visual there."

"Okay, sounds adventurous—and I like it! I'll be sure to do that sometime."

"Thanks, Claire. You are the first friend I have made in a very long time."

"Aww, shucks, don't make me feel awkward here." Claire laughed a bit. "I'll be seeing you around, Seph—can I call you that?"

"It has a ring to it. Sure. Why not."

"Brilliant!" Claire remarked. "Well, umm, I guess I'm off." As she was getting ready to leave, she soon realized something. "Uhhh, I can't leave till you open whatever you opened for me when I came, or I should say, fell down here. So could you do that? Please?"

"I will do something better." Sephia walked towards a nearby console and punched a few buttons. "You will like this." As soon as Sephia pushed the last button she needed to, Claire slowly saw the room disappear then she saw her farm and her house.

"Oh. My. Goodness... **Teleportation!**" Claire shouted that last word out, not caring if her neighbors heard her outburst or not. _I am _so_ glad I answered that advertisement! All the work I had to do on this farm is worth it if I get the chance to hang around with some awesome aliens!_

To her, the adventure had only just begun.

* * *

**Yeah, thought I would try my hand at a dream lol course, it _had_ to be a reference as well xD but I'm sure you guys out there are used to that by now xD  
Well, that is that :)  
Next chappy will be the end of summer - and some interesting revelations! . . . . I couldn't think of any other words to use xD lol I can assure you - a lot more Gray and them in the next chappy xD trust me on this xD  
Then I can _finally_ get into Fall - a season where I can't wait to write for! I just have these awesome ideas - well, I think they are... you can be the judge when the story gets there xD  
**

**Till the next chappy! :D**


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